Defying the Odds
by Mists
Summary: *AU Season 3* aka The Continuing Adventures of Space Dad Cat! Let's just say, a certain cockpit is not quite as empty as the paladins believe... "Highly improbable. Especially for this reality," he haughtily said with a self important air. "The odds of which being: one trillion, seven billion, eight hundred thousand, point three, two, eight, five-" SLAV! Team as family!
1. Defying the Odds

**Disclaimer:** Yeah, so as usual, I don't own Voltron. That would be the Dreamworks and Netflix people. I blame this on a few tumblr conversations I read saying they wished there were more Voltron Crack Fan Fics out there. Then THIS masterpiece of an idea came to me. But, honestly? With the universe they've established, I can almost kinda see this happening...

 **Takes place right after the cliffhanger at the end of Season 2. MAJOR spoilers ahead! You have been warned!**

* * *

 **~~Defying the Odds~~**

 **~By: Mists~**

* * *

"He's... _gone,_ " Keith whispered in shock, staring at Black's empty cockpit. "H-How could he just disappear like that? We didn't see him exit! H-He can't be..."

The unspoken, heartbreaking thought of; "not again," was too much for the teen. A conflicting, whirl of emotions surged through him, choking off the rest of Keith's words.

Lance reached out a supportive hand and placed it on Keith's shoulder. The Red Paladin glanced up at his friend with pain filled eyes.

"Don't worry, man," Lance said, trying sound reassuring. "We'll figure out what happened. Shiro has an uncanny ability to survive weird stuff like this. He'll be fine!"

But Keith's unemotional mask continued to crack. Causing Hunk to tearfully sweep him up into a crushing bear hug. "We're here, dude. We'll get through this together."

As the Red Paladin buried his face into his friend's chest, Lance and Pidge shared a determined nod. They were going to find Shiro. There was no "if."

But before anyone could start throwing out ideas or theories, Lance caught an odd glimpse of movement coming from under the Black Lion's control console.

To which, he raised a curious eyebrow.

"What the..."

Gently, Lance pushed past Pidge and knelt down on his hands and knees.

The shorter paladin blinked in confusion. "Uh, Lance. What are you doing?"

"Hmm... that's weird I swear I saw-"

Just then, Keith took a sharp, shaking breath. "I can't have lost him again," his voice cracked with emotion. "Please, not again!"

"Mer _-row!_ "

The sudden, pitiful moan; made everyone freeze.

"Uh... guys?" Hunk asked, face twisting up in confusion. "Did- everyone else just hear that?"

Coran shared a dumbfounded glance with Allura. "How odd, that almost sounded like Furrelian Sabercat!"

"A wha-" Lance began to say, but cut off his words with a sharp snap of his jaw.

He had just found the source of the agonizing sound. "Oho, oh no. No way. Nope, too far space! I'm out! You've gone off the deep end of what my mind is willing to accept! Shit's gotten too weird!"

Pidge let out an incredulous snort as she knelt down beside her friend. "Honestly, Lance? What could possibly break you at this-" Her brown eyes lit up like supernovas. "OH MY _GOD!_ HE'S SO CUTE!"

Annoyed rumbling, almost like a disgruntled purr came from the darkness beneath the dash.

At this point, Keith had finally had enough. Pushing away from Hunk, the teen yelled,"Guys, _seriously!_ What is going on?"

"Here, kitty-kitty," Lance teasingly called. His long arms gently extracting, what appeared to be... an exceptionally grumpy tuxedo cat.

Hunk's jaw immediately unhinged and fell open. "What the, why- _how_ did a small house cat get in here?"

"Elementary my dear, Hunk," Lance replied with a shit eating grin. "You see this particular cat appears to have a robotic arm." He gestured to the aforementioned appendage. It was on the cat's right side... the same one as-

"No, freaking _way!_ " Hunk gasped, while Keith... went ghost white and seemed ready to puke.

"I- no, you think that _thing_ is-"

"Hiss! Mer- _row!_ "

"Yeah, _Keith._ " Lance insultingly huffed. As Pidge bounced eagerly at his side, excited to be the next one to hold him. "Don't insult Shi- _row_!"

The black and white cat stiffen in Lance's arms; before glancing up, and giving him the stink eye.

"What, too much?" he asked the furry bundle with the tuff of Shiro's signature white hair.

The cat's eyes narrowed dangerously, as he lifted his natural white paw and gently placed it over Lance's mouth.

"Mow."

Keith felt his right eye begin to twitch. "I- But- what, HOW?" He finally settled on, feeling like his brain just rolled over in his head and died. "Shiro can't have just randomly turned into a cat! That's impossible!"

Coran twirled his mustache in thought. "Well... I wouldn't say impossible, per _se._ But-"

Slav popped up from behind Allura and interjected, " _Highly_ improbable. Especially for _this_ reality," he haughtily said with a self important air. "The odds of which being: one trillion, seven billion, eight hundred thousand, _point_ three, two, eight, five-"

"YEOW! _HISS!_ MROW!" Needless to say, at this point, Shiro cat started flipping out. Manically, the eye twitching feline tried to escape Lance's arms and claw Slav's eyes out. His robotic metal paw lit up with dangerous purple light as the shrunken Champion snarled at him savagely. Letting his ire for the frustrating alien be clearly known. Luckily, Lance was strong enough to hold him back from exacting his furry fury.

"Oh my!" Slav exclaimed, protectively wrapping himself around Allura's head like a bee hive. Of which, the princess found to be utterly annoying.

The rest of the group collectively sweat-dropped.

"Yeah, that proves it," Hunk agreed with an exasperated snort. "That's definitely, Shiro."

Keith held up his hands in a placating motion, in an attempt calm his transformed friend. "Easy, now. Re-lax. You're going to hurt Lance if you keep fighting him like that..."

The spitting ball of rage instantly froze, and his paw lost its deadly glow. "Ye...ow? Mr... Mrow..." He looked up at Lance with forlorn golden eyes. Shiro then nuzzled and licked at scratches he had made in the boy's armor; as if to say, "I'm _sorry._ Didn't mean to."

The Blue Paladin let out a sad sigh. Soothingly, he stroked the cat's back in long, calming motions. "It's okay. Don't apologize. You've been through a lot today, man." His sharp eyes then glanced over at Keith. "But... why don't I let Mullet-head hold you for awhile? I think he needs your comfort more than I do."

A bright blush stretched across the Red Paladin's nose. "What? I- I don't know what you're talking about!" He crossed his arms and turned away, trying to appear exceptionally emo.

Lance and Shiro shared smiles with the rest of the group. Pidge pouted that _she_ had wanted to be next, making the others laugh. Lance then walked over to Keith and soundly shoved Shiro-cat into his chest.

"Oh, just take him already!" He said in frustration. "We all know full well you want to! Just go with it!"

Keith blinked back at him in surprise, while automatically scooping Shiro up into his arms. Everyone else tried their best to hide their amused snickering. They failed, _spectacularly._

The dark-haired teen sent his "friends" an annoyed glare, before glancing down at the fluffy creature. The cat stared back at him with the same warmth Shiro always held in his eyes. "Don't worry Shiro... We'll find a way to get you back normal."

The cat's ears visibly drooped as he released a tired, "Me-ow..."

"But you know, other than-" Keith gestured to his new feline form. "- _this_. Are you, yah know, okay?"

Shiro mouth twisted in thought for a moment, before butting his head up against Keith's chin. The tuxedo cat then let out a deep, contented purr. Teary-eyed, Keith cuddled him all the closer in return. He'd be all right. They'd all be.

"Aww..." Pidge practically cooed, and Keith swore he heard the ominous click of a cell phone camera. But right then, he _really_ didn't care. Shiro was still with them. And while he may be stuck as cat for a little while. The Red Paladin knew he and his team would once again find some way to defy the odds and triumph once again...

* * *

 **Author's Notes:** So there you have it everyone! The start of my new series of one-shots for the Adventures of Space Dad Cat! This also came about when I noticed Shiro exhibiting various cat-like qualities this season. First being when he got that spore ball stuck to the back of his head, (OMG his reaction was so that of a cat with tape stuck to his head!) and then his elaborate series of wall jumps during the breakout scene. Then the ending happened and now... You all get _this!_ LOL!

Okay, so fic wise: OMG! Lots of family/ team building/ friendship and fluff to come! I already have so much planned. Let's just say, Shiro _may_ try to suffocate Slav in his sleep by lying on his face, Lance _may_ have a design planned for a... um sweater, and Shiro, Kaltenecker, and the mice might concoct plans for a coup... Also chapters of Shiro being there for each of the paladins in their most vulnerable moments. So if you want more of this insanity, with some in character emotional hurt comfort thrown in: **For the love of the ancients; please read, fave, and review!**

Oh and yes! A cover pic of Space Dad Cat is coming. Just wanted to keep his existence a surprise for the start of the fic. ;)

And to my Naruto fan fic readers, going to start the outline for the last fic now. Thanksgiving and Christmas hit me with the force of a train. But, free time is back now and I shall get on it right away. Just had to get the start of this off my chest. More to come from me soon!


	2. Bath Time

**Disclaimer:** Hello! Your friendly neighborhood Voltron crack dealer is here once again! As always, I own none of the things, and hope you enjoy this goofy bit of off the wall writing. Enjoy!

* * *

~Bath Time~

* * *

How did Shiro always get wrapped up in these weird situations?

After everyone had calmed down, the group moved into the lounge to discuss what to do next.

Allura and Coran theorized that Shiro's curtain situation had been caused by a combination of the quintessential drain of Voltron and Zarkon's mental assault. In order to protect Shiro from his influence, the Black Lion converted him into a state of pure energy. Unfortunately when it came time to reform her pilot, Black didn't have enough power to return Shiro to his former state. Therefore the lion chose to simply shift him into another... _smaller_ form she found within Shiro's mind. When asked, Black confessed that it had reminded her of a miniature version of herself. Making her choice rather clear.

"So essentially," Lance clarified as Shiro rested contently in Keith's arms. "What you're saying is... space magic did it."

The princess rolled her eye and released a long, laboring sigh. "In a sense, yes. Though, the study of quintessential energy is much more complicated than-"

"Uh, no offense Princess, " Hunk interjected, holding up his index finger to illustrate the point. "But I think I speak for everyone when I say; that at the moment, I _really_ don't care unless it has to do with helping Shiro get back to normal."

The black and white cat couldn't help but snort at the affronted look on Allura's face. Usually it was Lance who caused her this kind of distress. Shiro did his best to hide his snickering behind his natural paw. Hoping the princess would be too preoccupied to notice.

As the meaning behind Hunk's words sunk in, Allura's face immediately softened. "Right, well, there are several things we can try. But assembling the necessary items to do so may take some time..."

 _At least there's a good chance that I'm not stuck like this forever,_ Shiro ruefully thought as Pidge reached over Keith and started idly scratching the Black Paladin's cat ears.

 _Oh... man that feels good._ Shiro let out a deep, throaty purr as both she and Hunk discussed making him a telepathic translator in the meantime. Not being able to properly speak to his team had becoming rather annoying. Especially with all that had happened over the coarse of their last mission. There had been no time to decompress and speak together as a group. Being unable to do so now, made Shiro feel like a failure as a leader. He should be helping his kid- uh, _team._ Yes, that's right, _team._ Instead of them focusing so desperately on _him._

Shiro sadly sighed and did his best to relax in Keith's warm embrace. Surrounded by the people he loved, the tired tuxedo cat couldn't help but slowly drifted off to sleep...

* * *

With a wide-mouthed yawn, Shiro awoke from his nap several hours later. _Wow, I haven't slept like that in ages._ Groggily, he blinked his golden eyes around the room. The meeting appeared to have ended while he had still been asleep. Most of Team Voltron had left the room. Thoughtfully having turned off the lights before making their exit. And by most, Shiro meant everyone but Keith. The boy was curled up against the back of the couch with Shiro protectively seated within arm's reach in front of him.

The fur around Shiro's lips tug into a gentle smile. Poor Keith had been through a lot these past few days. First the whole being part Galra thing and now _this..._ Shiro hadn't meant to place so many burdens on the boy all at once. But Keith could handle it. He was certain of that. And Shiro would be there to help his young friend through as best he could.

The feline nuzzled his head against Keith's chin for a moment before leaping off the couch in a mighty jump. Leisurely, he stretched out his back, having it twist and arc in a way it never had before. His newly acquired tail uncurled behind him and readily flicked up into the air. It felt odd, being in an animal's body like this. He kept getting all this instinctual urges that weren't quite sitting well with him.

Like for example, _licking._ Ugh, there he went again. Gross! How could cats stand doing this? Lance had already caught him in the act earlier. And Pidge had not been discreet with the pictures she was taking on her phone. Shiro was pretty sure if they found a way to change him back, he was going to have to live with the fallout of this for years.

At that thought, Shiro roughly shook his head. No, not 'if,' _'when.'_ To think otherwise was an insult to his team. Together they had defeated an immortal ruler of a 10,000 years old galactic empire. If anyone could find a way, they could. Of that, Shiro had no doubt.

With an involuntary twitch of his ear, the transformed paladin automatically tilled down his head. And then using his back right paw, gave the offending itch a good hearty scratch.

 _Ugh, this is so strange. Well at least it can't get any- oh no,_ he thought in horror, realizing that a familiar sensation was coming over him. Shiro's ears drooped as he glanced helplessly around the room. He was a cat, where- how-

Without any further thought, Shiro booked it for the bathroom. He'd figure it out when he got there, because _man_ did he ever have to freaking _pee!_

* * *

 _Okay, okay. Calm down. You've seen videos of cats doing this all the time!_ He thought frantically, leaping up on the edge of the toilet seat. With a fearful gulp, Shiro glanced down at the water below.

 _But if I slip... No! Bad, Shiro! Don't finish that thought!_ He scolded himself, shuffling around so his rump was resting on the rim. Carefully, Shiro raised his black and white tipped tail into the air, and shimmied back so that his butt was hovered over the opening.

 _Okay, here goes nothing._ Shiro couldn't help but cringe as the tinkling sound echoed in his sensitive ears. Thank goodness none of his team caught him doing this. He'd never be able to look them in the eyes aga-

 _*SLAM!*_ went the door to the bathroom as Hunk barreled in.

"Oh, man!" He cried, ripping open Shiro's exact stall door. "Do I ever have to-"

"YEEEEOOWW!"

"GAHHH!"

Both man and cat screeched at the same time. Shiro's fur bristled as he jumped instinctively back... and promptly slipped.

Frantic, Shiro ignited his glowing metal paw and clawed at the toilet seat. But it was too late; his final attempt to salvage his dignity had failed. He glanced up at the horrified statue of Hunk with a look that desperately screamed, "SAVE ME!" Just as his backside landed in the water with a mighty _sploosh!_

"YEEEEEEEE- _OOOOOWWW!_ "

The shock of all this suddenly wore off and Hunk unfroze. "Oh, my gosh! Don't worry, Shiro! I'll get you out of there in a jiffy!"

 _Dear god, why me?_

* * *

Shiro was never quite so grateful for Hunk as he was at that moment. The young man ran over to the linen closet and pulled out a fresh towel. He rushed back and delicately lifted up the toilet seat. Cringing for in sympathy for his poor friend, Hunk reached out and wrapped Shiro in the towel's warm embrace. The distressed feline trembled in his arms as he was removed from the disgusting water.

The black and white cat was thoroughly drenched. His matted coat and grumpy frown were enough for Hunk to clearly read his mood. With utmost care, he placed Shiro, towel and all on the tile floor. "Okay, man. Hate to tell you this, but looks like I'm giving you a cat bath."

The transformed leader hung his head in shame. "Meow..." _Yeah, Hunk. Already kinda figured that._

"Cool," Hunk replied, holding his hands up in a pacifying manner. "Now, just wait right here. I'm going to grab some supplies and I'll be right back, promise." With a quick nod, the Yellow Paladin turned and ran off to see what he could find.

 _Well, it could be worse..._ Shiro admitted morbidly as he shook the towel from his shoulders. _Pidge or Lance could have found me._ An involuntary shudder race through his spine. If those two ever found out about this, he'd _never_ live it down. Honestly, he might have preferred to drown in that case.

Shiro let out a irritated huff as he tried to shake out his damp, heavy fur. _Ugh, no wonder most cats hate water. It feels so... **unsettling** like this. _

His fluffy ears flicked back in annoyance, as the Black Paladin unconsciously brought his natural paw up to his mouth to clean. Luckily, Shiro's human mind had caught onto his actions just in time. His golden eyes snapped open in horror.

He almost _licked_ dirty toilet water, off his paw... with his _mouth._ "YEEOWW!" He screeched to the heavens, as the realization fully hit him. The fuzzy paladin, flailed about, waving his wet paw frantically in the air. _Ew! Ew!_ _Ew! Ewwww!_

At that point, Hunk came rushing back into the room with his arms full of supplies."Shiro! Hey, hey! I'm back. It's okay."

The Yellow Paladin knelt down in front of the cat and dropped everything he had been holding onto the floor. With a gentle hand, Hunk reached out and calmly scratched Shiro behind the ears.

 _I- but- oh... that feels good. Thanks, Hunk. I needed that._ A satisfied purr rumbled deep within Shiro's throat, letting Hunk know that the action was very much appreciated.

When the frantic feline began to quiet, Hunk released a sigh of relief. "Okay! Now that that crisis has been averted. Let's get you cleaned up, shall we?"

"Me- _ow._ " _You better believe it brother._

The first thing Hunk did was stopper and fill the bathroom sink with water. Constantly, he checked and rechecked the temperature to make sure it would perfect for Shiro. "There we go! Not too hot and not too cold. Just right for a kitty bath!"

Shiro's golden eyes narrowed into a glare. _Watch it, Hunk. Remember, I still have claws like this and a glowing robotic cat leg._

Hunk merely laughed at the grumbling ball of annoyance. "Okay, okay! I was just joking. Simmer down."

The young man then dug through the supplies pile and pulled out a bottle of shampoo.

"This is the one Lance uses all the time," Hunk explained as he squirt a decent amount into the filled sink. "He says it's the most gentle one on the ship, and doesn't sting when it gets in your eyes."

With a quick shake of his hand, Hunk suds up the water until it was nice and bubbly with foam. "There, all set."

Satisfied with the result, the Yellow Paladin then turned back to the pile and pulled out plastic bag. "So I was thinking. It might be best not to get your robotic leg wet again. So we'll wrap it in this so it'll stay relatively dry and then I'll check it out after the bath is done. Sound good?"

Shiro nodded in agreement. Sounded like a solid plan to him. Hunk snapped on a pair of rubber gloves and quickly got to work sealing up the leg. Once that was done, he picked Shiro up gently around the middle and placed him into the sink. The soapy water pushed up to the rim, but luckily, none splashed onto the floor.

Shiro couldn't deny his current cat like curiosity, and sniffed at the floating bubbles with his nose. Of course the second he touched them, the bubbles popped right in his face causing him to sneeze.

"Oh, man," squeaked out Hunk, giggling madly into his hand. "That was so cute! Wish I had a camera!"

Shiro pulled his ears back "dangerously." "Hiss!" _Don't you even dare! Or I'll have you running extra drills for a month!_

"Yeah, yeah, I know." Hunk lifted up his hands and wiggled his gloved fingers in the air. "All right! Time to get to work!"

With utmost care, the Yellow Paladin worked his hands through Shiro's matted, crusty fur. Carefully untangling any knots or grime stuck within. He worked thoughtfully and methodically, the same way he would fixing Shiro's arm or one of the lions. His rhythmic motions caused Shiro to finally relax and let down his guard. He admitted it. It was nice to be pampered. Hunk's skilled hands made the cat bath almost feel like a professional massage.

Purrs of Shiro's contentment echoed softly through the tiled room. The exhausted cat practically melting into a large furry puddle within Hunk's secure, but gentle hold.

Maybe, being stuck like this wouldn't so bad after all...

After Shiro's lower half had been thoroughly scrubbed, Hunk moved on to his head. He used the barest amount of soap, which he immediately rinsed to avoid harming his friend's delicate eyes.

Next, Hunk released the sink's plug. The soap water slowly drained out from under Shiro. Leaving the the soapy cat a little cold. Quickly, the young man turned back on the faucet and began to rinse the feline down. Once all the fluffy white suds had been washed away, Hunk removed his gloves and reached out for a fresh towel.

The gentle giant then tightly wrapped Shiro up in the warm, absorbent cloth and lifted him back out of the sink. He pat Shiro dry as best he could before pulling out the wireless hair dryer. With a press of a button, the hot air immediately turned on and it felt _amazing_ against his cold, wet fur.

Shiro couldn't help but give into his kitty instincts and lovingly nuzzled his face against Hunk's fingers as he dried his fur. _Oh, man. Thank you, Hunk. I haven't felt this great in ages._

Hunk giggled at Shiro's content reaction. "I get the distinct impression you like being pampered almost as much as Lance does. You're just way more secretive about it."

He blinked at him in shock and turned away with an affronted huff. _I don't think anyone could enjoy it quite as much as Lance does. But I will admit. Every once in a while is nice..._

Hunk laughed out an apology, "Sorry, couldn't resist." After a few more minutes, Hunk turned off the hair dryer and placed it aside. "There we go! You're all dry!" He then quickly removed the plastic from around Shiro's arm.

As Hunk gave his friend one last glance over, he couldn't help but snort, "Oh, boy. You're _really_ fluffy now." He kindly attempted to pat down the tuxedo cat's puffy hair, as Shiro released another irritated grumble.

Hunk comforted him as best he could, "Don't worry about it dude. It'll calm down soon."

The young man let out a grunt as he stood back up again. "Now, all we have to do is get your leg checked out and we'll be good."

As Hunk headed for the door, he heard a questioning, "Meow?"

Shiro took a moment to shake out his fur and ran up quickly next to him.

"Uh... Shiro, dude. I'm sorry. Not sure what you mean by that one," the Yellow Paladin confessed with a sad frown. "I mean, we can _kinda_ tell, but until Pidge and I can get the translator working it's sorta hard to-"

"Mow," he interrupted with a supportive paw placed upon Hunk's leg. "Meee- oow..." Shiro slowly exclaimed and rubbed his head up against Hunk's knee.

His unspoken, _thank you,_ was now clear as day _._

Tears filled Hunk's large eyes as he tried holding back a sniffle. Shiro was so polite, strong, and kind. Really, it was the least Hunk could do. There was no need to thank him. The Yellow Paladin then swooped down and wrapped Shi- _row_ up in a tight embrace. "You're welcome. Anytime, buddy. And we'll find a way to change you back. I promise."

"Mow..." Shiro replied with a tired sigh. He knew his kid- ahem- _team!_ Would do everything in their power to help him. The Black Paladin just wished there was something more _he_ could do for them.

There wasn't much, with him being stuck like _this_.

But whatever trials lay ahead, at the very least, Shiro was still with them. And eventually, he'd find a way to help them. Shiro was sure of it, no matter what.

* * *

 **Author's Notes:** Ta-dah! Well hope you liked this bit o' silly crazy fluffiness! Did I give you the warm fuzzes? Cavities? Well good! My job is done! LOL! Hope you enjoyed this little Hunk moment. Here's to him getting more development in Season 3.

Also, I've been thinking of cross posting this and "Balance" over on AO3. What do you guys think? Should I get an account on there? It seems to be where everyone is posting now a days.

Oh and since people really like my theories, here's a new one: I think the reason Lance hasn't connected to Blue as deeply as the others have with their lions is because of what Shiro said to Zarkon. It's about trust. Now, hear me out! Lance trusts Blue absolutely. And Blue feels the same about Lance. But the hang up is that Lance doesn't trust _himself._ In short, Lance doesn't trust Blue's choice of him being worthy to be her paladin. I get the feeling season three will be all about Keith trying to learn what it means to be a good leader. While Lance overcomes his insecurities and becomes what Keith needs since Shiro's gone, to be his main support. And man, I hope Lotor really tests both Keith and Lance. Because I feel once Lance flips that confidence switch on in his head, he's going to be a deadly strategist and an epic bad-ass.

Anyway! Next chapter, I think will be a serious moment with Pidge. So if you want more soon please read, fav, and review!


	3. The Price of Knowledge

**Disclaimer:** Yeah, I don't own Voltron. This was written for all the fans out there. Nothing more. Sorry for the wait guys. Had a long couple of weeks. But finally! It has arrive! BEHOLD! The beauty, the _wonder_ , that is... SPACE DAD CAT! (Points to the new cover art thumbnail) Ta-dah! Now, enjoy!

* * *

~The Price of Knowledge~

* * *

"Okay," Pidge said as she secured the back of the device. While Allura and Coran searched tirelessly through the archives for a more permanent solution, Pidge and Hunk had been working on this project for the last few days. Built with extra parts from their mental training helmets, they hoped their new creation would allow Shiro to telepathically speak through a similar link that the lions used. "That should do it!"

She quickly flipped the metal controller over and pointed it a rather disgruntled looking feline. Her large, cobbled together contraption was currently strapped to his head. It looked like a miniature metal colander with wires and transistors haphazardly woven throughout it. The device weighed heavy upon his head, flatting his ears at a painful angle. It was horribly uncomfortable.

Unfortunately, Shiro couldn't voice his discomfort at the moment. Hence, why they were performing this demented science experiment in the first place. The prototype for the telepathic translator was finally ready, and Pidge was rather enthusiastic to test it out as soon as possible. Shiro had willingly agreed. Having already become fed up with being unable to communicate with the rest of them. But he was beginning to regret that decision, now that the dangerous device was humming atop his head.

"Sweet!" Hunk exclaimed, positively brimming with excitement. "Ready, Shiro?"

"Ye-ow..."

Light eerily flashed over Pidge's glasses as she raised her hand high and then slammed it down on the button.

An involuntary twitch went through Shiro's entire body. The low level electrical current raced over his furry form, causing all his hair to dramatically stand up on end.

"Uh..." said Keith, eyeing Shiro warily. "Is it supposed to do that?" While Lance valiantly tried to hide his snickering behind his hand.

Pidge glanced up from the readings coming off the control device. "Huh, oh. Yeah, just a small side effect." She adjusted a few knobs and Shiro's static frizz died down. "All right, it should be set at the right frequency. Try sending us a thought now."

The cat blinked his golden eyes for a moment and settled down. His nose scrunched up along his scar as he sent out a thought to his friends.

 _Okay... Can you guys hear me?_

The speaker on the device crackled to life as the castle ship's programed voice came through loud and clear. "Cat! Kitty cat!"

 _What?_ Shiro frowned and glared over at Lance and Hunk. As they attempted to hide their snorted laughter.

"I'm a kitty cat!" the disembodied voice sang. "And I dance, dance, dance."

"What? _No!_ " Pidge indignantly cried. She started fiddling with the dials. "Hold on! I should be able to fix it..."

Shiro felt his left eye being to involuntary twitch. _Pidge..._

But no matter what the young genius tried, the program simply continued to annoyingly sing, "Cat! I'm a kitty cat! And I dance, dance, dance."

Hunk and Lance could no longer contain their laughter. Leaning on each other for support, so they wouldn't tumble to the floor.

"I think the program might still have a few bugs, Pidgey," Lance managed to wheeze out, pretending to wipe away a tear.

She spun her head around and snapped at him. "Oh, _quiet_ you! Like you know wha-"

Shiro let out a tired sigh and laid down. This was going to take a while. But before he could settle in for the long hall, a peculiar scent filled his nostrils. He sniffed at the air curiously.

 _Odd. That almost smells like-_

"Uh... Pidge," Keith worriedly noted, pointing in Shiro's direction. "I _really_ don't think it should be doing that!"

The group turned back towards Shiro and gasped as the device suddenly began sparking and smoking.

 _Oh, quiznak!_ was his immediate thought as he frantically tried to use his back paws to extract himself.

Keith, Hunk and Lance jumped into action and ran to help free him from the malfunctioning device.

Angry tears rolled own Pidge's face as she continued fighting with the machinery. "No, no, no! You're not supposed to-"

Finally, in fit of rage, she tossed the controller to the floor and stomped on it with her foot. "Stupid thing! Work the way you're supposed to!"

The device simply sputtered and sparked back at her, as she hung her head in shame. She should have been able to fix this! This device was so monumentally important to Shiro. So that he could really connected to the group once again. Pidge knew couldn't help with the magical, metaphysical side like Allura and Coran. But this area was her specialty! It was what she was good at, right? How had it all gone so wrong? Had she or Hunk screwed up the wiring? She should have insisted they test it first.

 _Stupid!_ Such a stupid mistake. Once again, Pidge had come up with a brilliant idea; but in the end, had somehow screwed up the execution. Just like with the propulsion system of the pod rocket. Thank goodness it had worked correctly the first time. But the second, had nearly gotten Keith and Allura killed. And now, her negligence could have seriously injured Shiro.

Her friends had _trusted_ her. That the work she'd done would be right the first time. B-But she'd let them down... _again._

Pidge began to tremble, her small hands curling into fists. In that moment, she felt utterly overwhelmed and powerless. She couldn't help her dad, or Matt, and now Shiro...

"I-is he all right?" Pidge finally managed to choke out, fighting back her tears.

"Yeah, Pidge," Hunk's steady voice replied. "He's fine."

"Merr-row," Shiro purred agreement.

Pidge merely nodded her head and ran from the room. She couldn't face them right now. Knowing the kinds of looks they'd give her. The ones that said, "Honestly, Pidge. We trusted you."

* * *

"Oh, boy..." Lance sighed, running a hair through his hair. "That's a guilt trip if I've ever seen one."

Hunk nodded his head in agreement. "Yeah, we should-"

"Mow," Shiro interrupted, leaping to his feet. Quickly, he padded his way across the metal floor. Before he slipped through the doorway, Shiro spun his head back around.

"Meee...oww," he said slowly, trying to make his intention very clear.

 _Stay here. I'll handle it._

Lance gave him a thumbs up. "You got it, Space Dad Cat!"

Shiro let out an indignant snort. Of course the boy had already come up with a new nickname for him. The tuxedo cat shook his head, and returned to his mission to find Pidge.

He tried the obvious places first; Green's hangar, the science lab, her work station, etc. In a last ditch attempt, Shiro even checked her room. But no, his young friend was nowhere to be found. Pidge liked seclude herself away from the others when she got into these moods. Trying to shut out the rest of the world and focus on things that made the most sense to her, like coding and mathematics. Oftentimes, the team would discover her sleeping in the oddest places. They usually had to get the-

Shiro's golden eyes went wide. _That's it!_ His paws scurried across the floor as he began sniffing the air. The mice, of course! He should have thought of that earlier. If anyone could find her, it would be them. Both they and Shiro had been purposely avoiding one another since his rather dramatic shift in species.

Shiro wasn't entirely certain that he could control his feline instincts around them. Allura would never forgive him if he hurt them, even if it _was_ an accident. And honestly, neither would he. The mice had saved his life numerous times in the past; to repay them in such a way seemed horribly cruel.

So Shiro had purposely kept his distance, for both their sakes. But now, they were be his only hope of finding Pidge. Their scent was easy enough for him to locate. Almost too much so... The thought of them being his prey left a bitter taste in his mouth. For all the fighting Takashi had done over the years, he was still a man that strongly disliked violence. It was a last resort, to only be used when all other avenues had failed.

To protect, not harm. It was a matra he still carried with him to this day. He had failed to keep it while fighting in the arena. And he was quite determined to never do so again.

It was then that his ears suddenly perked up. His sensitive hearing had picked up an odd noise. Scratching... chattering... all rather close by...

Shiro's sharp eyes found their way to the grate in front of the air vent. _Bingo!_ He thought with a toothy feline grin. Trotting his way over, Takashi lifted up his metallic paw and brought it glowing to life. He made quick work of the grate and slipped tail and all into the tiny space. Luckily, Shiro was small enough at the moment that he didn't have to crouch.

The nails of his claws clicked against the metallic surface as he walked. Constantly, he sniffed the air, making sure he still had the right scent.

Eventually, the noises he heard began to get louder. Acting on instinct, Shiro crouched down low and started slowly progressing forward. All his senses went into overdrive as he approached his-

"Mrrow!" He snarled, shaking himself out of that mind set. _Focus! The mice are friends! Not food!_

"Squeak!" _*****_ _Scrabble!*_ _ **Clang!***_ came the startled sound as Shiro hurriedly rounded the bend.

Plachu, the slim bluish-grey mouse had protectively pushed Chulatt's tiny form behind him and up against the side of the vent. His sharp red eyes narrowed dangerously as Shiro drew closer. Every inch of the mouse's taut, wiry form screamed, "Take one step closer and I'll _end_ you."

Shiro's ears immediately drooped. This is _exactly_ what he had been trying to avoid.

He hung his head in shame. "Rooooww..." he pitifully moaned. _I'm so sorry. Didn't mean to scare you..._

Both mice shared a wary glance, before Plachu carefully relaxed his guard. Chulatt ran out from behind him and stared up at Shiro with wide blue eyes. To make himself look as least threatening as possible, Shiro sat down and curled his four legs up underneath him.

"Yee...Yee...ow?" _Not sure if you guys can understand me. But can you take me to Pidge?_

Both mice then stiffened for a second and then calmed down. The pair nodded their heads and motioned for Shiro to follow. He let out a sigh of relief and shuffled after his small friends.

It didn't take long for the sound of distant sniffling to reach his sensitive ears. _Pidge!_ Shiro thought, he had found her at last. The mice led him to a slightly larger area, one that was most likely used for electrical maintenance. The tuxedo cat found Pidge curled up protectively in the corner, with both Platt and Chuchule standing guard. The yellow-green mouse was tucked lovingly against Pidge's neck, peacefully resting atop her left shoulder. While Chuchule kept a sharp eye out from her perch on Pidge's right knee.

The two mice stared down at their friends, as Chuclatt and Plachu appeared to explain the situation. It wasn't long before the other two mice scampered down and moved aside to give Shiro room.

As he approached, Plachu sharply squeaked to catch the cat's attention. He quickly gestured his paw to his eyes and then back at Shiro. His message was clear: _I'm watching you!_

And then, Plachu and the rest of the mice turned and scampered away.

Shiro rolled his eyes and turned his attention back to Pidge.

"Merrow?" he tentatively purred. The tuxedo cat supportively placed his natural paw upon her leg. _You, okay?_

Tentatively, the young woman glanced up. Spent tears fogging her round glasses.

"Oh, Shiro!" She automatically reached out and scooped him up into her arms, "I'm so sorry! I should have tested it first!" Her tears only seemed to increase as she gently petted his back. Taking extra care to avoid his sensitive hairless patches, Pidge buried her face deep into Shiro's white and black fur. These were the result of leftover scars that his transformation had been unable to change. Most had been covered up by his new coat, but some were simply far too deep.

And now, Pidge thought harshly, she had nearly given him more. "I just _hate_ this!" she hissed into his matted fur. "This feeling of _helplessness!_ "

Shiro sighed and nuzzled his head up against her chin. Having been a prisoner of the Galra, he knew that same feeling far too well. _I know, Pidge. It's okay. Let it out._

Her grip on him tightened as she buried her face even deeper. "I-I can fix you. Or even help you deal with this. Dad and Matt are still out there, having quiznak knows what done to them. And no matter what I do, I'm still a billion steps behind."

Being unable to respond in words, Shiro did the only thing he could... softly begin to purr. _I'm here, Pidge. It'll be all right. We'll get through this._ It was quickly becoming apparent that his lion's mental link might be the only way to resolve this. Black had offered to connect him telepathically from time to time, but the action required a great deal of energy. The likes of which, that could be better spent healing themselves. So while the option was there, they had agreed to use it sparingly. Only in moments of great need. Shiro was beginning to feel this was one of those times.

It was incredibly frustrating. But until Coran, Pidge, and Hunk could create a mechanical solution. This was the only method of communication available to Shiro. He knew it wasn't much. But he hoped it would be enough to comfort Pidge right now.

Her breathing had evened out, but she was still upset.

"I just don't get it," she confessed. "The device should have worked. I'm a genius. I should just _know_ how to solve this problem. But I don't, and it _infuriates_ me!"

And that was when Shiro made his decision. _Black... connect me to Pidge, please._ Black let her displeasure over this be clearly known. But regardless of her own feelings, she complied.

" _Pidge? Can you hear me?"_

His young friend let out a sharp gasp and pulled back in shock. "S-Shiro? How did you-"

" _Black made a link through Green. But Black is far to weak to keep it up for very long, so I'll be brief. I just... really needed to speak to you."_

Pidge sniffed back the snot building in her nose and adjusted her salt crusted glasses. "Okay... I'm all ears."

" _Pidge... no matter how intelligent you are; you'll never be able to know everything."_ A warm purr rumbled in his throat as he continued, _"And honestly, I'd never_ _ **want**_ _you to."_

This made Pidge blink back at him in surprise. "What? Why? That'd be awesome! I'd be able to fix every problem in the universe in single a snap!"

" _Yeah..."_ Shiro thought to her with a humorous laugh. _"But you'd also no longer be_ _ **you.**_ _"_

Pidge's expressive face took on an incredulous look. "I..." She lifted up a finger in response, but then abruptly stopped. "Yeah, no. I don't follow."

Shiro happily butted his against her chin. _"Your thirst for knowledge, Pidge. It's one of the core elements that defines you. If you knew everything, you wouldn't have it anymore."_

He then pulled back and stared at her with his golden eyes. _"It's one of my favorite things about you. The way your eyes ignite when presented with a problem. Tirelessly sorting through all the possibilities until you discover the correct one. Unraveling the complexities of the universe so that it can benefit others. The unparalleled joy and sense of accomplishment you exude when you finally find the answer. All of those wonderful, inspiring things about you would be lost..."_ Shiro began to feel his eyes droop. The exhaustion Black had warned him about was starting to set in. _"Mistakes are the payment for knowledge, Pidge. And after you accept and over come that fact. The thing you gain... is the wisdom not to repeat them. So... so don't beat yourself up over it. Because every misstep, is still one towards a better you. You'll figure it out in the end... I know you will..."_

Black and Green then broke the connection. He felt completely drained. _Well... time for a cat nap..._

He glanced tiredly back up at Pidge's honey-colored eyes. "Mer-Rrow?" _You okay now?_

"Yeah... I'm good." Her voice was still bit wet from tears, but sounded far stronger than it had before. "Thanks, Shiro. I really needed to hear that."

"Row..." _No problem it's what I'm here for._ The tuxedo cat then let out a wide mouthed yawn and settled down in Pidge's lap for a well deserved rest.

As Shiro drifted off, Pidge pondered his words. He was right. She would loose a vital part of herself if that unquenchable thirst were suddenly satisfied. Problem solving, discovering connections, developing code... the complexity and difficultly of it was part of the fun.

Pidge warmly smiled as she gave the napping cat another stroke along his spine. She'd have to go back to the drawing board again, but eventually she'd find a solution. Maybe the quintessential energy that had transformed Shiro in the first place was causing the interference? It was a distinct possibility. She'd have to run it by Coran and Hunk at the next opportunity. Because even if she couldn't solve it all on her own, Pidge knew that her friends would always help support her through it.

Mistakes were the price of knowledge, huh? Well then, cash away. Because Pidge would pay any price to see Zarkon's empire fall, and for her entire family (Voltron included) to be made whole once again.

Because if there was one thing Pidge was certain of; the strongest force in the universe will always triumph. No matter how many times people try to destroy it. Somehow, it finds a way to endure.

For life, knowledge, _everything_ has no meaning without love. And she would use every last ounce of drive and intellect she possessed to preserve it. So whatever else the evils of the universe had left in their arsenal, bring it on. Because in the end, Pidge and the rest of her team will find a way to overcome.

* * *

 **Author's Notes:** Argh! DONE! That... took far too long for me to write. But I did it! Really hope you enjoyed. And now, next time! The funny is back people! With Keith being introduced to the "wonders" of D &D. Shiro pretty much meows at him to sit down and bond as Lance and Pidge try to screw up Hunk's campaign. Tons of weird roll-playing humor coming into this. The mice dressed as character tokens, fighting 3D models. Magic missiling. The abject cries of: _Resurrect me!_ All this and more, next time!

 **Please remember to read, fav, bookmark, and/or review!** Feed the fan fic muse!


	4. Roleplay: Part 1, Character Creation

**Disclaimer:** I own none of the things. Sorry about the wait guys. The graphics card in my computer up and died. :P But anyway! There are references to Wyrmwick, one of my fav streamed D &D sessions. And also references to Maychorian's "The Cycle of Five Lions" series. The first story, "The Storyteller and the Thief" is out now! Go check it out! And yes, I got her permission to reference some bits in this story. See if you can pick them out!

Anyway, so this part of the chapter was already over 12 pages long so I decided to split it into two. Sorry guys, but it will help me to add more hijinks to the gameplay explored in the next chapter. Overall, consider these chapters to be "Introduction to D&D 101."

* * *

~Roleplay ~

~Part 1- Character Creation~

* * *

Keith sat on the edge of his bed. His grim refection stared back at him from his knife's polished silver surface. While Shiro was still technically with them, it was clear that he would be unable to lead Voltron in his current state. So the weighted position, had fallen upon Keith shoulders.

The Red Paladin had tried to convince Allura to take command instead. But Shiro wouldn't hear of it. He and Black argued that Allura had enough to worry about. And that if the need arose, she could plot one of the lions in a pinch. In the end though, one member of the team still needed to take command in battle.

Keith's reflection frowned back at him as he searched for whatever sign Shiro had seen. That he was meant to do this. Throughout Keith's life, he had been categorized as many things: an orphan, a hothead, a _Galra._ But, never a leader.

What made Shiro think that he was capable of doing this? Keith let out an exasperated sigh. He flopped back upon the bed and glared up at the ceiling. Back at the Garrison, Keith's old instructors would have burst into laughter at the mere suggestion. Being notorious for acting on his own and disobeying orders; leadership was one of the roles Keith felt he'd never been meant to play.

Nor had he ever wanted to. For the majority of his life, he'd been alone. Understanding people, connecting with them... was incredibly difficult for him. Keith barely understood himself, let alone emotional motivations of the rest of the team.

To do so meant opening up to the others, being vulnerable. But the walls he had built around himself had become so high, that it was hard to suddenly tear them down. He really did want to grow closer to his team... Because deep down, he knew they were slowly becoming more than that.

Was this what it was like to part of a family? The thought frightened him. He had already lost his family once. And Keith wasn't sure he could survive that level of loss again.

Keith brought his hands up over his face and sighed. Their fate, his new family's very lives now rested upon his shoulders. Was he strong enough to really do this?

The door to Keith's room suddenly slid open. Startled out of thought, the tense boy jumped. Then purely out of habit, Keith quickly stashed the knife under his pillow. He looked up at the empty doorway with a questioning eyebrow, as familiar yowl from the floor finally caught his attention.

The Red Paladin couldn't quite contain his smirk. "Sorry, Shiro. I wasn't expecting you to visit."

His feline friend made his displeasure known with an irradiated rumble at the back of this throat.

With a graceful leap, the black and white cat landed next to Keith on the comfy bed. Immediately, he felt his friend's critical eyes roam over him. They suspiciously narrowed, "Yeeee-ow." _What's wrong?I know something's wrong._

Keith pinched the bridge of his nose. He didn't have to speak feline to know what that tone meant.

"It's nothing," he assured with a sweeping pat to the cat's back. "Just been thinking about the team."

A contented purr emanated from the fluffy cat's throat as Keith began scratching behind his pointy gray and white ears.

"I just..." the Red Paladin trailed off with a depressed sigh, "don't know how to connect with them." He threw up his hands in frustration. "Heck, I don't even know where to start!"

Shiro's purr shifted in tone and became more thoughtful. It reminded Keith of his old contemplative, "Hmm..."

After a few moments of thought, the cat's ears suddenly perked up with an idea. His transformed friend glance up at Keith with shining golden eyes. "Rr-ow!" _I have an idea._

He then leapt off the bed and jerked his head for Keith to follow.

"Uh... okay," he agreed with a hesitant shrug. Before following Shiro out into the blue lit hall.

* * *

The familiar joyful sounds of Hunk, Pidge, and Lance echoed from the ship's lounge as Shiro and Keith approached.

"Okay! So do you guys remember where we last left off?" asked Hunk's warm, inviting voice.

"Well yeah, but shouldn't we wait for- Shiro! There's my top cat!" Lance exclaimed with flung open arms. "For a second we'd thought you'd-" He stopped for a moment and blinked in confusion upon seeing Keith. "Oh. Hey, man... You want in, too?"

In all honesty, Keith hadn't a clue what his friends were doing. The Garrison trio were sitting on the floor around what appeared to be a large graphed out board. For some odd reason, the mice were dressed in tiny little outfits. And stood patiently, each within their own square. In front of Hunk, was folded piece of cardboard that kind of resembled a screen. Strewn about him were small, intricately detailed figures from fairy tales and myths. Along with a collection of oddly shaped game die.

Keith's nose scrunched up in confusion. Were they playing a game of some kind? Whatever it was sure looked complicated. It was no secret to the team that Keith had lived the majority of his life like a hermit. But he was still hesitant to show the others just how limited his knowledge base was when it came to social interactions.

Yet, this certainly was an opportunity outside of training or battle for him to better get to know them. It was just... Keith seemed to have an uncanny knack of screwing up stuff like this up.

So Keith did what he always did when he felt completely out of his element. He turned to Shiro.

"Uh..." he said uncertainly, giving his furry friend a wary glance.

The tuxedo cat let out a huff and rolled his eyes. He then padded his way over to others and sat down next to Pidge.

"Mrrow! Mee-Rrow!" He exclaimed, gesturing towards the floor with his natural paw. His message was clear: _Sit down and bond!_

Keith sent Shiro an irritated glare before finally relenting. "Okay, fine." The Red Paladin carefully maneuvered around all scattered game pieces; making sure not to knock anything out of place. With an annoyed huff, he sat down next to Hunk and began eyeing the layout. "What kind of game is this exactly?"

Hunk's eyes lit up like the sun as he explained, "Oh my gosh! Really? You want to play! This is going to be so awesome!" He reached down behind the screen and started pulling out sheets of paper. "I didn't think you'd want to, so I didn't roll up a character for you. But no worries! I've got some pre-made templates. So it shouldn't take too long!"

As Hunk shuffled through his various sheets, Keith turned to Pidge and Lance to clarify. "Roll up a character?"

Pidge adjusted her glasses with a sly grin. "To answer your first question, the game's called 'Dungeons and Dragons.'" Shiro happily purred in agreement and began curiously batting at one of the figures.

Keith fondly smirked at his antics, as Pidge continued, "Hunk just means that he has to map out the statistics of your character so that when the interaction and combat elements come into play, he'll know what to do."

Lance snickered, adding in, "You know: strength, agility, intelligence. All that kind of stuff. The actions you take in the game are partially determined by dice rolls. Hence the name."

The Blue Paladin then snatched up one of the die and moved it enticingly in front of Shiro. His golden eyes lighting up in excitement. "It's a role-playing game we used to play back at the Garrison. It's tons of fun," Lance finished, letting the die fly. Shiro immediately took off right after it.

"Oh..." Keith was still a little confused. But as he thought back, he kind of remembered Shiro mentioning the name before.

"But wait a sec..." he said, taking in all the scattered pieces. "Where did all these dice and game pieces come from? You didn't have these on you when we left earth..."

"Oh!" Hunk exclaimed, as he bent the upper half of his body over the screen. "I made them all on the ship with a 3D printer Coran let me use."

Keith picked up one of the pieces and inspected it. Hunk's engineering prowess never ceased to amaze him. The Red Paladin wouldn't have had a clue where to start in even making something like it. Let alone have the patience to see the project through to the end.

Keith then turned his attention to the mice waiting quietly on the board. "Wait... if you have these pieces... Why are you using the mice?"

Lance dramatically rolled his eyes. "Well, when we tried to play yesterday, _someone_ couldn't help himself and started playing with the figures!"

An indignant, "Hiss!" and " _Row!_ " Came from where Shiro was pawing at the crack under the couch were the die had rolled.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah..." Lance said with a dismissive wave of this hand. " _Technically_ , I had a hand in that, too." He then gestured toward the mice. "So we decided to bring them in to help instead."

Pidge held out her hand. The tiny blue mouse in the green cape took this as an invitation and scampered up her arm and onto her shoulder. "With Shiro thoroughly distracted by the pieces, the mice can rest easy knowing that he won't give chase." She glanced over at Chulatt and winked. "Besides we hardly get to spend and time with the little guys. Seemed like a fun way to include them."

"Did you make the clothes for them then?" Keith asked with a confused blink.

Pidge snorted. "Oh, hell no! That was all Lance."

"What?" He dramatically exclaimed, tossing his hands into the air. "They're acting out our parts! How are they supposed to get into character if they're not in costume?"

Both Keith and Pidge shared an exasperated look.

"Well, _I_ think they're great!" Hunk agreed in defense as he rummaged through a stack of papers. "Lance always does great work, and the mice deserve to be pampered just as much as we do!"

"So... you mean he's made tiny clothing before?" Pidge inquired with a sly grin.

Even Keith couldn't contain his smirk as Lance furiously blushed. "I, _no!_ What kinda question is-"

"Totally," Hunk answered without even batting an eye.

"Hunk!" he indignantly screeched, his entire face burning crimson. "That was supposed to be a secret!" The others began to snicker. It was so easy to rile Lance up.

"Huh?" Hunk glanced up in confusion. "Why? I think it's sweet that you used to make doll clothes for your sisters."

"Hunk..." Lance covered his face in embarrassment. But his friend just kept on going, "Lance has always been good at arts and crafts. Knitting, sewing, you name it."

Lance nervously played with his fingers, refusing to met anyone else's eyes. "Yeah, well, you kinda have to, when you don't have a lot of money." Both Keith and Pidge's teasing smirks immediately fell upon hearing this. They shared a forlorn glance with Shiro as he trotted back over to the group. Sadly, he stared up at Lance for a moment before walking closer and nuzzling his head against his elbow. With a sad sigh, Lance automatically reached down to scratch Shiro behind the ears.

"The little ones were always tearing through their clothes and toys," he confessed, the fact seeming to weigh upon him like a burden. "One day, I asked Mama to teach me how to sow, so I could help her out. I liked it so I learned to do more." Shiro purred warmly up at him as he climbed into Lance's lap and curled up for a nap. His actions made Lance laugh. It reminded him of how, Churro, their family cat used to act. Thinking of home lifted his spirits a little. "Besides, making things for the people you love is fun. It shows that it came from the heart."

Shiro released a yowl of agreement. "I'm with Hunk," Pidge added, adjusting her glasses. "I think that's sweet Lance." She then sharply elbowed him in the side.

"Ow!" he yelped in pain, rubbing the area exaggeratedly. "Pidge, you're mean!"

She simply gave him a coy wink. "You're _just_ figuring this out now?" Lance stuck his tongue out and Pidge couldn't help the laughter that bubbled up inside of her. There were times he so reminded her of Matt. "I love making stuff, too. Except, mine tend involve more welding and advanced circuitry."

She then gave Keith a look. As if expecting him to add something else... But honestly, he wasn't sure what to say. Lance was clearly being defensive about it. And Keith understood what it was like to be poor. To feel like you we less because you didn't have as much as others.

Would… telling Lance that make him feel better? Maybe... But that would require Keith to open up; to share a part of himself he had learned to hide and never let people see. Was he really ready to do that? "Yeah," he added nervously. "I… think it's cool, too. I… never really had much either." When he saw Lance's eyes widen, Keith immediately turned away, still uncertain if this was the right thing to do.

But for some reason, his mouth just kept moving without him. "My hover bike was one of the few things I had, so I did my best to learn how to keep it in working order. Never really been very good at doing any delicate work though. I just don't have the patience for it," he finished with a dismissive shrug.

When he glanced up, Lance's softened smile told him it was the right thing to do.

Keith then coughed and decided to change the subject. "So yeah… still not sure-"

And then like an epiphany, it dawned on him. He remembered Shiro once having mentioned a game like this before. Something about pretending to be a character and finding inventive ways through a fantastical adventure.

Which meant _talking_ , and _improvising with others_.

Oh, he was so screwed... The Red Paladin could almost feel the water rising up around him.

Keith visibly gulped, he was in _far_ too deep to pull back now.

Paling in fear, he looked down at his feline friend. "Hey, Shiro?"

"Rrow?" he said, head picking up from his resting place in Lance's lap.

"I-is this the game you used to play with Matt?" he nervously asked, the memories of what Shiro had told him assaulting his mind.

Pidge snorted in remembrance. "Oh, man. I remember the stories Matt told me about that."

The muffled snickers coming from behind Shiro's paw was answer enough for him.

"Oh, no... Shiro!" Keith practically screeched in betrayal. "You know I suck at stuff like this!"

Shiro climbed out of Lance's lap and padded over to Keith. He sat back on his hind legs and batted the Red Paladin affectionately on the nose. "Mow! Mere -row!" _All the more reason to do it!_

He was _so_ doomed. Lance and Pidge were never going to let him live this down.

Hunk then reached out and placed a supportive hand on Keith's shoulder. "Hey, if you don't want to do it man, I understand," he softly offered. "At first glance the game can be quite intimidating." An embarrassed blush stretched across the bridge of his nose as Hunk shyly added, "A-Actually the reason I got into it in the first place was because my parents thought it would help with my verbal skills."

Keith blinked back at him in surprise. He hadn't been expecting his friend to say that."I... oh, really?"

"Oh, yeah," he said in reply, nervously scratching at the back of his head. "I used to be a really shy kid. Mom and Dad knew I liked math and numbers, so they thought that D&D would be a good way to meld a world I understood with one I didn't."

"Actually, that's how Matt got into it, too," Pidge interjected, nostalgic moments dancing in her warm eyes. "Dad said it had helped him to learn how to better interact with people when he was young. And he thought it would work for both Matt and I."

"Makes sense," Lance said in a thoughtful tone he rarely used. "Fifty percent of the game is very analytical, while the rest is essentially acting and improvisation. My brother got me into it hoping that it would help improve my math skills." He shrugged his arms. "Unfortunately, that didn't work out too well, but I still grew to love the game. The role-playing aspect was what always kept me interested."

Plachu then scurried over to Lance and ran up his arm to rest on his shoulder.

"Role... playing?" Keith asked, the uncertain term weighing heavily upon his tongue.

Lance reached out and adjusted the mouse's tiny feathered hat as he replied, "Essentially, it's like acting without a script." After helping out his tiny shoulder occupant, he turned back to Keith.

"That's the other reason for the character sheet," Lance helpfully explained. "It gives you a backstory and a name so that you can pretend to _be_ that character."

A concerned frown stretched across Keith's lips. "I'm... not sure I entirely follow."

Hunk perked up and excitedly picked up where Lance left off, "Okay, so it's like this. I'm what's called the DM, or Dudgeon Master of the game. Think of me as the lovable, but malevolent god of this world. I essentially oversee the adventure. I chose how the characters and monsters you don't control respond to your actions."

The Yellow Paladin reached out and grabbed a 20 sided die into his hand. "Some of the actions are based on dice rolls while the rest rely on creativity." He handed the multi-sided die to Keith with a cheeky wink. "I'm also going to play a party character to help you out through the quests."

"Party?" Keith once again gave Hunk a lost blink.

"It's what we call the main group of adventurers," Hunk enthusiastically explained. "We are each going to play a character within the party and work together to fight the monsters and uncover the story's plot as a team!" With bright, warm eyes, Hunk glanced around the room. "Platt! That's your cue!"

A squeak of interest rang out as the yellow mouse calmly waddled out from behind Pidge where he'd been napping. The large mouse was wearing what appeared to be a white and yellow robe.

"Platt is going to be representing my possession on the game board," he said gesturing to the tired-eyed rodent. "My character's name is Smithton. He's a dwarven cleric from the underground city of-"

"Hunk," Lance groaned, already knowing where this was heading. "If you explain to Keith your entire backstory we'll be here all day."

"Oh, right. Sorry," he apologized, bashfully. "Pretty much the important thing is that my role on the team is healer. So anyway-"

"Hold up..." Keith cut in. He needed something important clarified, "So I have to call you Smithton? Like through the entire game?"

"Oh, don't worry," Hunk assured him, with pacifying hands. "We can use our real names to make it less confusing."

"Well, at least _some_ of us can..." Lance interjected with wicked grin, before turning to address Pidge. "Right, Cassandra?"

The Green Paladin shivered for a moment, then rolled her eyes. "Wrong again, Little Boy Blue."

It had become a game between the two as of late, for Lance to try and guess Katie's real name.

Honestly, Keith wasn't a 100% sure Lance didn't already know it and was simply using this as an excuse to call Pidge every horrendous female name he could think of.

Though, even he had to admit; it was kind of fun watching her cringe intensify with every new attempt.

Oddly enough, despite her physical reaction, Pidge also seemed to enjoy it, but he was absolutely clueless as to why...

Keith just didn't understand.

Lance exaggeratedly pouted at her for a moment before returning to the character explanation.

"So anyway, I'm playing a half-elven bard." At this, Plachu ran in front of Lance and struck a pose. The mouse was clad in a feathered cap with a blue cape. In his tiny paws he held what appeared to be a miniature lute.

"A... _bard..."_ Keith said skeptically, raising an eyebrow in question. "You mean someone that sings and performs? How's that going to help in battle?"

"Hey!" Lance snapped back."Bard is a totally legit and important class," he defended. As Plachu began strumming the lute and pretending to flirt with Chuchule. "Bards have high charisma. Meaning that they can talk their way out of battles and other sticky situations _without_ having to resort to violence." He stuck his tongue out at Keith at the end.

The Red Paladin simply released a long laboring sigh. "I wasn't implying that it wasn't important," he stressed with a slight shrug. Getting the strangest feeling that he'd hit a nerve. "I'm just trying to understand where someone like that fits in with the team."

Lance froze for a moment upon hearing this. His energetic eyes suddenly dulled as he adverted his gaze. Keith felt something in his gut painfully tighten. What had that been about?

But whatever was going through Lance's head, only seemed to take a second to subside before he focused. "A-Anyway, whenever diplomacy fails, a bard can still actively fight."

With a nod at Plachu, the mouse stared playing a tune on the miniature lute. "They can use songs in order to raise certain statistics within the party." The other mice began dancing around Plachu as he sang, what Keith could only assume, was the song of his people. "And when all else fails..."

With a dramatic flourish, Plachu whipped out a tiny crossbow from beneath his cape and launched the blunt bolt at Shiro's butt.

"Yeow!" the tuxedo cat exclaimed, his golden eyes narrowing dangerously at the mouse.

"Plachu!" Lance chided. "What did I tell you about picking a fight with Shiro? Apologize!"

Plachu's ears drooped as he turned away in a huff. Begrudgingly, the greenish-blue mouse toddled over to Shiro and took off his tiny hat. He then bowed to the cat on one knee, keeping his crimson gaze trained on the tuxedo cat.

With a toothy grin, Shiro ducked down and place an exaggeratedly long lick atop the mouse's head. Plachu sputtered and indignantly squeaked while trying to pat down his fur with his tiny paw. While the small, furry mammal's dignity was clearly bruised; the rest of the group merrily laughed at his silly antics.

"Anyway," Lance said, once again returning to the subject at hand. "Pidge cast a spell on my crossbow bolts so that they have frost magic like Blue." He smiled fondly as he mentioned his lion. "I also have a bit of illusion magic that I can use to help get us out of tough situations."

"Okay..." Keith said with an unconvinced tone. He then turned to Pidge. "So you're like a mage or sorceress, I take it?"

Pidge adjusted her glasses with a wicked flash. "Hohoho! Oh no. Though, my arcane magic stat _is_ maxed; the character I'm playing is an elven thief!" Popping up from within the folds of Pidge's wild hair, Chulatt made her entrance. The tiny blue mouse was dressed in a simple green cape. She pulled the hood up over her ears and made a swooshing noises. Chulatt then covered her face with her arm and tried to look sneaky and mysterious.

Keith couldn't restraint the audible gulp he made, staring at Pidge's evil grin.

Lance leaned over and loudly side-whispered to him, "I still say she should have been a halfling. It would have been perfect for her seeing how she's so-"

"Finish that sentence and die, McClain!" she threatened, already inching towards her bayard.

"Now, now," Lance said scooting back away from the dangerous woman. "Let's not be hasty. You've no idea how I was going to finish that sentence!"

"Roll for a bluff check," Hunk interjected with a snicker, his friend's eyes going dramatically wide.

"Hunk!" Lance gasped, placing a hand over his wounded heart. "You'd really risk my life in such a cruel manner?"

"My insight's pretty darn high Lance..." Pidge warned, spinning her bayard around the grip by her finger. "Do you want to chance it?"

"Uh..." Keith murmured forlornly looking to Hunk. "I'm lost again."

The Yellow Paladin released a laboring sigh. "They're commonly used terms within the game."

As Pidge launched herself at Lance and the pair began an impromptu pillow fight, Hunk simply continued, "A 'bluff' is a type of dice roll players can use in order to trick or distract another character. Once again, its effectiveness is based on your character's core stats. I'll explain it better as we go along."

"Oh, okay..." Beside them, both Lance and Pidge lay sprawled on the ground. Neither having won, but just tiredly calling a truce.

"So we have a healer, a rogue, and a bard..." Keith counted off on his fingers before, suspiciously eyeing Shiro. His feline friend was once again up and pawing at one of the 3D printed figures. "What's Shiro playing as?"

Keith's friends grinned as one and said, "Human Paladin."

Shiro turned to Keith, puffing out his chest proudly. "Yeee-ow!" _Of course, was there ever a doubt?_

Even the Red Paladin couldn't stop from face palming. "You guys... are the biggest dorks in the universe."

"Oh, yeah. This coming from the cryptid fanatic," Lance sarcastically tossed back. "Seriously, let he without a nerdy hobby cast the first stone. So you ready to make a character or not?"

"I... guess so," Keith answered as he nervously turned to face Hunk. "Though, I'm still uncertain where to start..."

"That's what I'm here for!" The Yellow Paladin crowed as he pulled a pencil from out of no where, and leaned forward in anticipation. Creating new characters was one of the best parts of the game to him. "Let's start with 'class.'"

"Uh... knight?" Keith tried, offering out the only medieval class he could think of. "Or a warrior of some kind?"

Both Lance and Pidge scrunched up their noses in distaste, while Shiro shook his head.

"Yeah, no," The Blue Paladin rejected with a shake of his head and picked up one of Hunk's discarded class sheets. "Knight's okay, but straight up warrior doesn't seem like the right match for you."

"Remember, we're trying to make this character a lot like you," Hunk gently reminded. "So it'll be easier for you to pretend to be him."

Keith once again looked to Shiro for help. The tuxedo cat padded over to Lance and stared at the sheet he was holding. "What do you think, Shiro?"

"Roow," he answered, reaching up his paw towards a single word written on the page. "Ranger? Oooh! Yeah! Perfect match, dude! That totally works for our lovable mullet!"

Keith sent him an irritated glare. "Heard that."

"And I know it!" he returned with a cheeky, sing-song note in his voice.

Pidge gripped her chin in thought. "It _does_ make a great deal of sense. Rangers traditionally prefer solitude and to be out in the wild."

"Yup, good old wasteland," he teased Keith with a playful wink. "He'll feel right at home." Lance's sharp grin eased slightly as he added, "And best part... the class can learn to dual wield."

Now _this_ grabbed Keith's interest. "Say that again?" He leaned forward, giving Lance his full, undivided attention.

"I _said_ you can use two weapons at once," he repeated with a smug wiggle of his brows. "You know, one for each hand."

Keith had just started training with both his bayard and Galran blade. The thought of doing so within a game intrigued him. The structure of the rules seemed malleable enough for Keith to experiment with different fighting styles in a controlled environment. While he still preferred the physical exertion that came with normal training, Keith was willing to give it a try. "Okay, I'm in."

"Woot! All right!" Hunk exclaimed, fist pumping into the air. The Yellow Paladin stuck his tongue out of the corner of his mouth as he quickly jotted it down. "And... done! Next order of business, what 'race?'"

Keith just blinked at that. "Uhhh... human I guess?"

"You can't be serious!" Lance immediately scoffed, "This is a _game,_ Keith. We're all hum-"

Keith's narrow stare stopped him, and he quickly corrected, "Okay, _mostly_ human. It's _boring."_ Lance released a laboring sigh, and glanced imploringly to the heavens.

"But Shiro gets to be human," Keith pointed out, as Shiro turned to him and contently purred.

Lance dramatically gestured at their feline companion. "That's because he's currently stuck as a cat!"

Shiro's purr became a rumble as his annoyed golden eyes shifted to the Blue Paladin. Keith and the others could feel their lions growling along in their heads asking, _And just what's wrong with that?_

"Oh, come on! You all know what I mean," Lance defended before addressing Keith. "Anyway, a major point of this game is to either explore an aspect of yourself that you normally shy away from, or to put yourself into another person's shoes."

"Huh, nicely put, Lance." Pidge complimented with a playful punch to his arm.

"Why, thank you... Prudence," he slyly tried, rubbing at the contact point. As Pidge physically gagged. "Holy crow, Lance! No! Just, _no!_ "

This sent Hunk into a fit of giggles as Shrio rolled his eyes and face palmed (pawed).

Keith simply snorted and offered a compromise, "Well, what do you guys think I should play?"

Both Lance and Pidge grabbed their chins in thought and began to eye him critically.

"Hmmm..." they murmured in unison before Pidge finally said, "Half-breed."

"Drow," Lance added immediately afterward, the pair nodding in perfect sync. Keith and Shiro shared a look of surprise. They'd never seen them quite act like that before. There had been times in the past when the pair worked together as one. But let's just say that during those times either shit royally blew up or they returned with an unusable game console and a cow...

Pidge scrunched up her nose and looked at Lance. "Drow's a little harsh though, don't you think?"

Lance folded his arms across his chest as he pondered this. "Yeah, you got a point... what about a half-elf, Ssri-Tel'Quessir?"

"Ooooo..." Pidge practically cooed, evilly tapping her fingers together. "I _like..._ "

Nervously, Keith glanced at Hunk, hoping he would explain. The Yellow Paladin's face lit up with joy at this suggestion. "That's perfect for Keith!" he exclaimed. "Okay so abridged version, Drow were considered 'evil' elves and were banished to the Underdark by their goddess. They are the only elves that are considered to be inherently evil."

Keith stiffen a bit at that, trying not to feel hurt by the implication. Did Lance and Pidge think that fit because of his Galra side? Did they feel all Galra were naturally evil? That... the evil in him would one day take hold and he'd become like that too?

"Keith?" asked Lance, almost hesitantly. "You okay?" Both he and Pidge were staring at him with worried expressions. "I... well..." It was then that Keith felt the weight of Shiro's paws on his arm. "So.. _all_ Drow are evil?"

"M-Reoow!" Shiro refuted, butting his head up against Keith's chin, trying to calm him. _Hold on, let Hunk finish._

"Oh, no no! Especially, not Ssri-Tel'Quessir! You see, they were 'cleansed' if you will," Hunk illustrated with air quotes. "They were once on the side of evil, but chose to be good. In the world of D&D they pretty much represent hope."

Keith's gaze instantly soften hearing that. A person who was part of a race that could be redeemed? He had to admit, it did sorta fit him. Even with all the evil the Galra Empire had done, he had hope that one day they would see the error of their ways. There was still good in his mother's people. Keith had seen that in the Blade of Marmora. After 10,000 years many had probably lost hope that anything could change. But he and the Paladins of Voltron would see that it would.

Shiro purred as he nuzzled his head against Keith's chin, as if to say, "See?"

A soft grin stretched across Keith's face. He reached out and fondly and scratched Shiro behind the ears. "Okay, we'll go with that."

The others released combined sighs of relief. Glad Keith finally understood the meaning behind their choice.

"And now, last but not least!" Hunk declared with a flourish of his pencil. "Your god."

"Yeah, haven't a clue on that either," Keith admitted, relieved that at least this part of the game was over. "Do I _have_ to chose one?"

Lance tilled his head to the side in thought. "Well, gods are kind of important. They give you advantages during certain points of the game like races do. So it's good to have one." He then pointed to himself. "Take me for example, my god is _Leviathan_."

"And... what does it do?"

Lance held up his hands and wiggled his fingers. "It has super crazy magical powers that also have the tendency to drive its worshipers insane."

Keith stared at him in confusion. "Why would you worship something like that?"

"Because it sounded fun! And rolling the dice of fate is kinda my jam," he answered with a shrug. "Go big or go home, I always say." Lance reached out and fed one of his snacks to Platt. "Besides, it's a _game._ If something happens to my character it doesn't _actually_ hurt me. I can always roll up a new one if it goes crazy or dies."

Of course, that's just when Slav creepily popped up out nowhere and draped himself over Lance back from behind. "I wouldn't be too sure, Blue Paladin!"

"GAHHH! Slav! I've told you a million times! Stop doing that!"

As Lance tried to shove him off, Slav eerily cautioned, "By choosing to take on a role such as this, even in a fictional sense, you could cause an imbalance in the quintessential plane." His eyes grew wide as he gripped Lance's face. "Thereby, resulting in the creation of a parallel dimension where you and you friends exist in a world incredibly similar to this one. "

Lance visibly began to sweat as Slav pushed in closer. "Anything you do here could have immense consequences to your parallel self. Thus creating a time paradox that could destroy the entire universe!

"What?" Hunk squeaked, starting to look freaked out. "Uh, guys. I don't think I want to play anymore!"

"YEOW!" Shiro exclaimed, leaping at Slav as he scrambled away.

"AHHH! Keep that hell beast away from me!" he cried, jumping from Lance to the protection of the couch.

"Hell beast?" Pidge asked, her snort turning into a snicker, "Shiro? Naw... he's a good kitty."

Shiro puffed his chest proudly at her words.

"I awoke this morning to find that furball lying on my face!" Slav accused. "He tried to suffocate me in my sleep!"

Keith glanced at Shiro as he stared back at Slav as innocently as possible. His eyes were so big he'd give "Puss in Boots" a run for his money. Oh, he _so_ did it on purpose!

"Champion, yes. Nighttime assassin, no," Keith concluded with a toss of his hair. "That's just Shiro being... _friendly._ "

"Well tell him to do so somewhere else!" Slav exclaimed heading towards the door. "Remember what I told you, that game could be a death toll to fathomless dimensions!" And with that, he quickly left room.

"Yeah... uh-huh. I'll take my chances," Lance muttered under his breath. "Sometimes that guy truly is apples and bananas."

"Anyway," Pidge said, trying to get everyone back on track. "We still need a god that can represent a grumpy, battle hungry loner."

"I- _Hey!_ "

"She got you there, dude," Lance teased.

"Hmmm... it needs to represent both war and protection," Pidge mused. And then her honey colored eyes lit up with an idea. "What about the wolf god, Aruman?"

"Perfect!" Lance crowed, eagerly reaching for the dice. "Now finish up mullet's sheet and let's get started!" He flashed the others a smile. "I have fictitious women to woo."

The others all groaned as Hunk nervously finished filling in Keith's stats. "Guys, I don't know... I'm still a little freaked about what Slav said..."

"Hunk, come on," Lance pleaded with a dismissive wave. "We've played this game a thousand times and nothing bad's happened. It's pretend. Everything will be fine."

"Okay," Hunk said as he took a bracing breath. "Since Keith is new, we'll start with him meeting the party. Keith, you enter the bar...

* * *

 **To be continued...**

* * *

 **Author's Notes:** Okay! Part one done! As you can see, this part grew to be so long that I finally decided to split it into two chapters. So much research went into this part of the fic. Let me know if I got the general rules right. I'm also not going with any single addition either. Most DM s nowadays seem to pick and chose whatever parts they want from which ever version they like anyways.

But let me know if I got something glaringly wrong, like I said, I've never been a Dungeon Master, but my husband has. So I asked him about some of the details. Also, feel free to offer suggestions of silly stuff you'd like to see happen in the game. Like I said, I'm going to stick in a bunch of funny references from all over the place. So add more to the pile! I might use it, you never know. LOL!

Anyway, hope you liked the chapter! Shouldn't be as huge a wait on the next one. Easter and my birthday threw everything out of whack. That and my graphics card dying! :P It's been some kind of a month people.

So send me your comments of love! And as always, please remember to read, fav, and review!


	5. Roleplay:Part 2, Let the Adventure Begin

**Disclaimer:** Grab your Mountain Dew and Doritos boys and girls! You're in for one heck of a crazy ride... Welcome to the randomness of my mind! BWHAHAHHA!

 _All of Hunk's exposition /what their game characters are doing, will be written in italics. As are Shiro's inner thoughts like before._

Got it? Good, let's begin!

* * *

~Roleplay~

~ Part 2: Let the Adventure Begin!~

* * *

 _Keith enters the bar. Above the doorway is a sign that reads "The Lion's Den." There is a large crest depicted below that looks like a shield. The colors: red, green, blue and yellow are painted on a black and white background. In the middle of the symbol, where the four colors meet a rectangle of black, there's a golden cross with small crown above it. You know that this is an incredibly ancient coat of arms. Only those directly descended from the legendary warriors of old are allowed to bear it._

 _You make note of all of this as you once again glance at the message in your hand. It says, "If you want to know more about the evil forces plaguing this land, seek out the paladin named Shiro. The wandering bard at 'The Lion's Den' will tell you where to find him."_

 _Quickly, you stuff the note back into your pocket and walk through the door. The sharp scent of mead and spice immediately assault your senses. Your eyes are immediately drawn to a large, inviting hearth. The warm glow immediately lifts your spirits as the hustle and bustle of the rambunctious patrons assaults your ears._

 _In front of the hearth sits a bard merrily playing his lute for the crowd. Keith, what do you do?_

"That's me," Lance obnoxiously stage whispered at his side.

"Yeah, _thanks_ ," Keith replied with a cynical drawl. "I kinda already figured that."

"Just making sure!"

Hunk snickered softly. "Okay, Keith. You're in control now. What do you want to do?"

"I... uh well," he stammered, trying to buy time. "Guess, I try and go up and talk to the bard?"

 _You attempt to do so, but the crowd around him is too thick to easily navigate._

"Okay... then I try to push on through."

All the others groaned, or in Shiro's case, yowled hearing this.

"Five seconds in and Keith already instigates a bar fight," Pidge moaned with a shake of her head. "Should have known."

"Hey! I'm just trying to get through. It's what I'd do in real life!"

"We know..." Lance dramatically lamented, but his mouth still held a playful smirk. "Straight and to the point. It's most _definitely_ you."

"Uh, thanks?" Keith answered with a confused blink. It was true, and Keith wasn't going to deny it. Hunk just shook his head. "Roll a strength check..."

Keith's face flushed as he glanced at the large collection of many sided die. "Umm..."

"Oh, sorry!" Hunk exclaimed with a bashful rub of his head. "It's this one." The Yellow Paladin handed Keith the 20 sided die.

Keith inspected the huge game piece in his hands. It had a lot more sides than the dice he used to play with in the past. But then again, the game play in "Monopoly" or "Clue" wasn't exactly the most complex. With a light shrug, Keith then did what he was told. He shook the die and let it roll.

"14," he said when it tumbled to a stop.

"Okay!" Hunk glanced down at his numinous sheets. "You manage to push through a few people, but are confronted by a huge, unyielding ogre..."

" _Oi!" it says with an irradiated grunt. "What's this then?"_

"I'd like to note that while this is going on, I'm robbing the distracted spectators blind," the Green Paladin added with a wicked grin.

Shiro gave her an admonishing glare. "Yeow!" _You shouldn't be stealing, Pidge._

"Yeah, Pidge," Lance offered. "Shiro's right." The tuxedo cat nodded along in agreement. That is, until Lance said, "Don't focus on everyone, just the drunkest or wealthiest."

Shiro released an indignant yowl, "Rrrow!" _That's_ _ **not**_ _what I said!_

"Aye, aye, sir!" Pidge returned with a cocky salute. Lance shot their feline friend a sly grin. "Don't know about you, but that _totally_ sounded like agreement to me!"

"Mow!" Shiro vehemently denied as he climbed up on Lance's leg, pawing ineffectively at his face. Lance merely snicked and batted him playfully away.

"Lance, I don't think- ouff!" Keith exclaimed as Hunk elbowed him sharply in the side. "Hey, what was that for?"

Hunk answered with a shake of his head, "Just go with it, Keith. Shiro knows Lance and Pidge are just teasing him. Let them have their fun."

Lance picked Shiro up, and held him away from his face. He faintly struggled in Lance's grasp in an attempt to once again bop him on the nose. "Okay! Okay!" Lance eventually caved, with a laugh. "How about just people we know work for the Galla Empire?"

Shiro's muzzle scrunched up in thought. "MMMmm... row," he finally agreed with an exaggerated nod.

"Cool," Lance gently placed Shiro back on the ground. "Truce?" He opened his hand and Shiro extended his paw. He placed it in Lance's open palm. "Row."

Hunk released a snort. "Okay, time to roll for initiative."

"For what?" Keith asked with a confused blink.

"It means rolling the dice to determine the order of our turns during combat," Pidge explained as she snatched up the die. "The person with the highest number acts first, and the rest go in descending order."

"Ohh... okay." Keith nodded his head. "I've got it now."

But before Pidge could roll, Lance caught her hand. "Hold on! Let me see if I can defuse the situation."

He released a rueful snort and eyed the Red Paladin. "Leave it to Keith to initiate combat on turn one."

"What was I supposed to do?" he asked, throwing up his hands in frustration. "They were in my way!"

"Hmm... oh I don't know," Lance openly mocked. Though his playful tone told Keith that he was merely teasing. One thing he had learned about Lance was that his tone mattered a lot more than his actual words. It was a hard concept for someone like Keith to grasp, who was always blunt and straight forward with the things he said. But he was slowly getting better at reading between the lines when it came to Lance.

The Blue Paladin placed his hand over his chin in thought. "Let me think, maybe look around the bar for a bit? Get a drink and wait for me to get off stage so you'd have an opening to approach?"

Pidge quickly covered her mouth, stifling her laughter. "He's got a point, Keith," she mumbled.

Keith felt the red heat of embarrassment stretch across his nose. "Oh... I guess so," he said with a slight shrug. Maybe he _was_ a little too impatient sometimes. "So... what are you going to do to fix it?"

Lance flashed him a shit-eating grin. "Use my winning personality and _charm_ , of course." Keith rolled his eyes skyward as Lance let the die fly. "Come on charisma, don't fail me now!" The number facing up was 13. "Woot! Not too bad!"

 _I approach the ogre and deeply bow. "My dearest heartfelt apologies. My... **friend** is not used to large social gatherings. Please forgive his rude behavior, how about I tell a tale of your choosing instead?"_

Lance looked up hopefully at Hunk as he then took up the narrative.

 _The ogre seems pacified by your offer. He waves you dismissively back to the stage as he lumbers over to the bar and takes a seat._

Pidge, Lance, and Shiro all exhale a sigh of relief. Hunk giggled merrily behind his screen. "It was close, but you did it. Good job, Lance."

"Okay..." He breathed out, giving Keith the stink-eye. _Before I return to the stage, I gruffly grab Mullet by the collar and steer him toward Pidge, Hunk, and Shiro's direction._

"We're all sitting at table going over the information we uncovered during our last session," she helpfully added.

Lance gave Pidge a nod. _"It isn't wise to draw unwanted attention to yourself here," I say, roughly shoving Keith down into a chair. "There are eyes everywhere." I then turn and quickly return to the stage._

Hunk raised a brow at him. "Do you want to play out the performance?"

Lance shook his head. "No, just get Keith caught up and we can go from there."

"Fair enough," he agreed.

" _Ah! So it is as the gods prophesied! A ranger from the forest wilds has come to join our cause!"_

Expectantly, Hunk glanced at Keith.

" _Uhh..."_ He awkwardly fidgeted, feeling put on the spot. _"Yes?"_

" _Excellent!" I say, extending my hand. "My name is Hunk, and these are my traveling companions Pidge and Shiro." I motion back towards the stage as I add, "And you've already met Lance."_

" _Yeah... guess I owe him for that?"_ Keith asked, staring back at Hunk uncertainly. _"I'm not very good with people, in general."_

This made Shiro duck his head under his natural paw and snort.

"Oh, _quiet_ you!" he huffed, defensively crossing his arms over his chest.

" _Yes, I can tell... You come from a very secluded village, correct?"_

" _I..."_ Keith began to answer, but then stopped with a frown. "So I can just make up whatever I want about my character?"

Hunk gave him an eager nod, glad that his friend was willing to branch out. "Within reason, you can't just like... suddenly develop magic powers or something. But if it's backstory related I can jot it down and see if I can rework it back into the main story somehow."

"Oh, okay." Keith closed his eyes for a moment and took a calming breath. _Patience yields focus,_ he thought to himself. _"I really don't have place that I call home. I'm a wanderer, a nomad. The forest wilds are all I've ever known."_

The Red Paladin eyed Hunk shyly. "H-How was that?"

"Great!" He exclaimed with an enthusiastic fist-pump. "See! That wasn't too hard."

"Not bad, Samurai!" Lance crowed looking excited as well. "Just take what your character feels and let the words flow."

"Easy for you to say," Keith murmured under his breath. Speaking always came so naturally to the Blue Paladin. Just about every alien race they came upon were instantly enamored by him. Keith was sure footed during battle, but have him address a dignitary or crowd... Well, let's just say it almost always ended in disaster. He felt so useless during those times, while Lance just seemed to thrive. As if the Blue Paladin was thoroughly in his element.

Honestly, Keith was starting to become little jealous of him for it. Not that he'd ever admit such a thing to his loud, exuberant friend. Knowing something like that would go right to Lance's already inflated ego. He'd never hear the end of it.

"Keith?" the Blue Paladin asked, staring at him with a concerned frown. "You, okay?"

He quickly waved away Lance's worries. "Oh, yeah, cool. Totally fine."

His friend didn't appear entirely convinced. Sensing the tension, Pidge jumped in to defuse it.

 _I extend my hand and say,"Cool, hi. I'm Pidge."_

Keith gave his friend a skeptical look. She was planning something. _"Uh... Nice to met you." I take her hand and shake it._

A wicked grin stretched across Pidge's face. _While Keith is distracted I try and palm his coin purse._

"I- hey!" He scowled at her. "What was that for?"

"It's my special form of greeting," Pidge offered, wiggling her fingers suggestively. "I'm a neutral, borderline chaotic good rouge. It's what I do."

Shiro grunted in annoyance. _I thought we called a truce._

"Shiro's right, Pidge," Hunk supported with a pious air. "We're the good guys. We don't act that way."

"Ugh!" She groaned tilting her head back toward the heavens. "You two are so lawful sometimes it makes me sick. It's a game. Live a little!" Lance chuckled beside her, nodding in agreement.

"She's got a point dudes."

Just then, her honey-colored eyes practically lit up with an idea. "Say... Keith, you never chose your moral leaning, did you?"

Hunk and Shiro shared a worried look. _Uh oh._

Lance released a breathy gasp. "Keith... old buddy, old pal..." He grasped his hands in front of his chest gave the Red Paladin his best puppy dog eyes. "If you side with Pidge and I, you'd break the tie."

"What?" he asked, with an audible crack in his voice. Pidge scooted up next to Lance and batted her 'innocent' eyes. "It pretty much means Shiro and Hunk are a pair of goodie-goodies messing with our fun."

"Keith..." Lance said, making compelling force motions with his hands. "Kee-ith! Come, join the dark side... We have t-shirts and it's way more fun!"

Keith could barely keep at bay the light tugging of his grin. "Hmm..." he mused, placing a hand over chin in thought. "I _might_ be persuaded. But, what's in it for me?"

Hunk let out an indignant squawk. "Keith!"

Pidge pulled out her best little sister pout. "I'll enchant your weapon to have fire damage _._ "

"And I'll buff your rolls so that your attacks will almost always hit," Lance eagerly offered.

"Hmmm..." Keith repeated, trying to hold his contemplative scowl. But he was pretty sure the others saw right through him. He'd never been a very good liar. "Sure, why not."

"Wooo-hoo!" Both Pidge and Lance exclaimed sharing an enthusiastic high-five. In unison, they immediately began chanting, "One of us! One of us!"

Hunk gasped scandalized while Shiro hung his head defeat.

"Traitor," the Yellow Paladin grumbled.

Keith threw up his hands; that infernal grin still pulling at his lips. "What? They were convincing!"

Hunk fixed him with his narrowed gaze. "That was highly unwise..." He brought his hands together and tapped the tips of his fingers menacingly. "You've just committed the cardinal sin of D&D, my friend," he informed Keith with an evil grin. "And I believe you must be taught a _harsh_ and _brutal_ lesson."

The Red Paladin gulped, his body breaking out in a cold sweat. He'd never seen Hunk look so terrifying.

"W-hat'd yah, mean?" he asked, a bit of his old Texas drawl slipping through. His fear rapidly climbing to a peak.

"Eep!" Lance squeaked and latched onto Pidge like a koala bear. "Oh my god! Hunk's mad! Dude, you're _so_ dead!"

"Gahh!" Pidge exclaimed, trying to shove the long-limbed teen away. "Mff- Lance! Come on! Get off'a me!"

"But you're the perfect size for this!"

"AUGHHH!"

Ignoring her protests, Lance just whimpered and clutched her tighter. From the bit of Pidge's face still visible between the folds of his arms, you could she was plotting his ultimate demise.

"Meow," Shiro helpfully added, patting his paw against Keith's thigh. _Whelp, you've done it now._

"What exactly did I do?"

Hunk released his most evil laugh. "The worst thing you possibly could! You angered the DM!"

At the this point, Lance broke the act and started giggling manically into Pidge's hair. "Hunk controls everything that happens in the game, Keith. Which means he'll be constantly gunning for you now."

"Ewww! Lance, enough already!" she pleaded with a grossed out squirm. "You're the worst _ever!_ "

"Oh..." The Red Paladin said, starting to calm down. Keith had been worried that he'd actually made Hunk mad. But looking at his friend's face now, that didn't seem to be the case. In fact, he seemed to be enjoying the idea. "Okay."

"Alright! Back on track!" Hunk declared with an enthusiastic clap of his hands. "Pidge, I'm going to need a dexterity roll."

"What?" she squawked, finally able to shove Lance off of her. "Shouldn't that be a stealth check?"

"Dude, you're like right in front of him, holding his hand." Hunk sighed. "I'd have to give you a ton of negatives to your roll."

"Okay, fine." Pidge relented. She let the die fly and rolled a 10.

"Ooo... that 's not too good," Hunk hissed out in sympathy. "Keith, roll insight."

"Okay..." He took the die from Pidge and tossed it to the floor. "11... uh, is that good?"

"You beat her roll by one," Hunk explained almost giddily. "Which means-"

"Ah-ah! Hold up!" Lance said, waving his index finger. "I'm in close enough proximity to buff it."

The Yellow Paladin's mirthful grin drooped into a scowl. "You _do_ realize that's one of your dailies, right?"

"Uh..."

"It means you can only use it once a day," Pidge quickly explained to Keith, already sensing what he was going to ask.

"Will it embarrass, Keith?" Lance slyly asked. The Red Paladin's smile immediately morphed to a scowl.

"Hey!"

"Then it's worth it!" Lance laughed merrily, sharing another high-five with Pidge.

She then shook out her mop of short hair. "Well played, bard. I'll pay you back at a later time."

Lance fully turned to Pidge and dramatically bowed. "I'm honored, my dear... _Petunia_." Pidge's right brow merely twitched at the name and just motioned for Hunk to move on.

"I'm going to say that's a no..." The Blue Paladin stage whispered to Keith and Shiro, causing the pair to scoff in reply.

"Okay," Hunk sighed, kneading his aching temple with his hand. "Pidge successfully steals the purse. What do you do?

Pidge takes a deep breath. _I bring up my left hand and open it, showing the coin purse to Keith._

Lance released a loud snort and tried to hide his laughter behind his hand.

Pidge simply ignored him and continued, " _As you can see, I have a variety of skills at my disposal. So it would be unwise to cross me." I then give Keith back his purse with a cheeky wink._

The Red Paladin pouted at his friend. _I snatch it up and stuff it back into it's hiding place."Thanks, I'll keep that in mind."_

Before Keith or Pidge could add anything more, Hunk decided to move the plot along. "Okay! So a shady, hooded figure comes sliding into the bar."

The Yellow Paladin then turned his attention to the black and white cat. _Shiro, you recognize this individual as the one you believe to be the Galla's spy. What will you do?_

A contemplative look stretched across Shiro's furry features. He turned and gave Pidge a significant nod. "Roow." _Follow him. But be careful._

Pidge nodded in return. _I excuse myself from Keith and Hunk. I then walk over to the darkest part of the room. Blending in with the shadows, I do my best to watch him and see what he does next._

Hunk cleared his throat. _At this point, Coriander and Laurel, the owners of "The Lion's Den," come over and introduce themselves."He'llo!"Coriander says twirling his great orange mustache._

Keith blinked for a moment and then snorted into his hand. "Coriander and Laurel? Hunk, _really?_ "

"Haven't a clue what you're talking about." The Yellow Paladin nonchalantly shrugged. "All similarities to persons living or dead are merely coincidental," he said with a dismissive wave.

"Ah, good old plausible deniability." Lance gave Keith a wink. "Just in case Coran and Allura ever decide to play the game."

 _Laurel and Coriander are delighted to make your acquaintance, Keith. And offer you the same hospitality they have shown the rest of the group._ Hunk coughed into his hand. _Coriander_ _gives you the keys to your room, and I suggest we retire for the night. "We should all wait in Pidge's room to hear what she discovers."_

Turning, Hunk started addressing Pidge. _You are close enough to hear most of their conversion. But not all. Roll for insight._

Pidge shook the 20 sided die in her hand and tossed it to the floor. "Ooooo... 11, not too good."

"But good enough," he said with a supportive smile. _You are able to make out the words: Creaking Woods, graveyard, and 1 a.m. Before the cloaked man finishes his drink and makes his leave. Pidge what do you do?_

"Hmm..." she mused, taping her chin in thought. "Is Lance still playing?"

"Yes, but the rest of the group is upstairs."

 _I phase back out from the shadows and give Lance a significant look before head upstairs._

Lance nodded his head in agreement. _I play two more songs, so not to raise suspicion. Then I make up an excuse and retire for the night._

"Okay, Pidge. You have the floor," Hunk offered as she described for the group what she saw. They all agreed to investigate, and headed out as soon as possible. The Yellow Paladin and the rest of the team then instruct Keith on how to do "nature checks." Soon, they reached the graveyard where the hooded man and his people are standing over an open grave. Hunk called for stealth checks, and unfortunately half the party failed.

"Alright!" He exclaimed, rubbing together his hands in excitement. "Combat time! Let's set up the board!"

As the mice got into their positions on the graph, Lance noticed something. He reached out to the somber looking pink mouse and gently ran his index finger over her head. "Oh, no. Chuchule, I'm so sorry. I don't have a ranger outfit for you, since I thought you were playing Shiro."

The friendly mouse nuzzled her head against his warm touch; doing her best to show Lance that she really didn't mind. Platt and Plachu shared a look and scampered out of the room.

"Hey, guys? Where you going?" Pidge asked. Chulatt reached out and gave her leg a reassuring pat.

A few minutes later, the two mice returned; dragging Lance's self-made sewing kit into the room.

"Oh!" Lance brightened up seeing it. Quickly, he walked over and lifted it from the floor, mice and all.

Platt and Plachu ran up Lance's arm as he returned to his spot. The two mice then perched themselves upon Lance's right shoulder, apparently eager to watch him work.

"Why can't Chuchule just wear Shiro's outfit while she's playing me?" Keith asked with genuine interest. "It's that silver piece of tinfoil, right?"

Lance halted his search through the material scraps and glanced up at Keith. "Well yeah, but rangers don't wear heavy metallic armor like that. Only light." He pulled out a bit of red cloth, and threaded a needle with white thread. "Besides, I think Chuchule would prefer to be in your color. Right, girl?" Chuchule nodded once and held still as Lance worked his magic and sewed up for her a little red and white cape.

Keith then turned to Shiro and asked, "Wait a second, if Chuchule's going to represent me on the board now. Who's gonna play Shiro?"

Shiro hopped up from his spot and ran over to Hunk's pile of 3D printed figures. He pawed his way through them for a moment. When his golden eyes went wide as he made a triumphant discovery. "Meow!"

He bent down and snatched up one of the tiny figures with his teeth. The tuxedo cat shuffled his way back over to Hunk and dropped it into his open palm.

The Yellow Paladin warmly smiled. "You like this one a lot, huh?" Gently, he stroked Shiro's head and gave him a quick scratch behind the ears. "Sure thing, buddy."

Hunk then reached out and placed the knight figure on the board with the rest of the mice. Platt, Plachu, and Chulatt all turned and saluted the plastic toy as if it was their new leader. Happily, Shiro purred at the sight, puffing out his chest proudly. The game also seemed to be mending the rift that had formed between Shiro and the mice.

"Ta-dah!" Lance finally exclaimed, presenting the bowing pink mouse in the palm of his extend hand. She squeaked and twirled, trying to appear fierce. But ended up, just being really cute.

"Much better!" he crowed. "Now, dual weapons..." Lance took on a contemplative frown as he rummaged again through the kit. "Ah-ha!" he exclaimed, pulling out a pair of small, metal needles.

"Swords, done!" He then handed them to Chuchule. She parried, spun, and sliced at the air in front of her as if performing a deadly dance.

The other three mice cheered her on as Lance placed his hand back to the floor. Chuchule then scampered off to play with the rest of her friends.

"Now, be careful with those," Lance cautioned, his inner older sibling taking hold. "They're pretty sharp."

The pink mouse nodded thoughtfully, before taking her place on the board.

"Aw! She looks great, man!" Hunk complemented his friend with a warm grin.

"Meow!"

"Yeah, even I have to admit. She looks pretty cute," Pidge crustily agreed.

"Why, thank you..." Lance replied with a teasing wiggle of his brows. "Pierrette."

Pidge physically gagged. "Really? You've resorted to just trying god awful "P" names, now? Gahh! No! A thousand times, no!"

This sent the entire group into peals of laughter. And for once, Keith didn't even try to hide his smile. The more time he spent with his team, the more Keith felt... whole. He had always known family and friends were important, but never had any to share his life with.

Other than the vague memory of his father and Shiro, that is.

Keith averted his gaze, as an embarrassed blush crept over his face. In all honesty though, the Red Paladin knew he couldn't place the blame of that entirely on others. Fear of rejection had made Keith lash out a great deal in his youth. Trying to push people way, before they did the same to him. Shiro was the only one who saw through his actions and flat out refused to leave.

Keith looked up at Shiro, watching Pidge lovingly pet his head. Yes, Keith's life would be very different without him in it.

Back then, it had been the right choice to let Shiro into his heart. Maybe it was finally time to take the risk and do so again.

"Okay! Okay!" Hunk chuckled, wiping a tear of laughter from his eye. "Back on track!"

 _The cloaked man yanks back his hood, and reveals his face. He has blond hair, and a shortly trimmed beard. His green eyes seem to glow with with an other worldly light. Shiro, you know him as Count Lazuli. "Fools!" he bellows, pointing at all of you. "You dare confront me me here!" He waves his hand and magical light engulfs the forest plants and creatures around you. The trees begin to moan and groan as they appear to spring to life. Short monsters wearing red hats come creeping from the shadows, resembling demented gnomes. Lazuli commands his three men to fight and take you down while he finishes the ritual-_

Here, Pidge interrupted, "Can I tell what kind of spell he's casting?" She automatically snatched up the 20 sided and let it tumble to the floor. "17"

"Ooooo! Yes!" Hunk crooned, tapping the tips of his fingers together evilly. "You can tell quite clearly, that the magic he's performing is necromancy."

"Yeow!" Shiro exclaimed, ending in an irritated hiss. "Roow!"

"Yes, let's form Voltron!" Lance cried sending the rest of the team into hysterics.

The tuxedo cat narrowed his golden eyes at him. "Mow."

"Attack the darkness?" He innocently tried, sending both Hunk and Pidge into another laughing fit.

"Mow!"

Keith simply shook his head. Knowing full well that, at some point, Lance was going to pay dearly for all of this. Shiro could be pretty sneaky when he wanted to be, especially in the revenge department.

Hunk took it upon himself to save Lance from going off on another tangent. "Initiative rolls people! Let's get this party started!"

After the turn order was set, Hunk began to explain how the stats on the character sheets worked in combat. Some of the bonuses and modifiers got a little complicated after a while. Honestly, Keith was having a bit of trouble keeping up.

Subconsciously, the Red Paladin glanced over at Lance. Was he getting all of this, or was it just him? This thought made him pause. Since when had the Blue Paladin become someone Keith measured himself against?

With simple look, Lance had somehow picked on Keith's distress and redirected conversation. "Augh! Hunk, enough! Too much, MATHHH!" He anguishly groaned out the last word.

"Lance," the Yellow Paladin stated, calmly. "Just because you don't-"

"MAATTTHHH!"

"Lance, really. It's basic addition and multiplication!"

"But there's just so much to keep track of!" the Blue Paladin exclaimed, throwing up his hands in defense.

Pidge frowned for a second in thought, then pulled out her laptop. "He's got a point, Hunk. I can easily create a randomized dice roll algorithm." Her hands flew deftly over the keyboard, already steadily typing away. "Along with macros for each character as well. So that most of the bonuses are automatically added." She adjusted her glasses with a sly smirk. "Shouldn't take me more than a couple of minutes."

Lance gave her a thumbs up and a quick wink to Keith. "Great idea, Pidge."

Unfortunately, Hunk was not quite on board with this like the rest of the team. He dramatically gasped, placing a hand over his heart. "And forgo traditional dice rolls? Pidge! That's blasphemy!"

Suddenly, line images of a twenty-side die and various diagrams started appearing around Hunk's head.

"The twenty-sided die is one of the quintessential parts of D&D!" Hunk illustrated its importance with the motion of his hands. "The precise engineering that went in its creation! The _precision_ of its very weight and form, so that the randomness of the rolls would be exemplify!" Hunk was practically gushing now, with stars dancing in his eyes. "That our gaming forefathers created such a geometric splendor-"

"Okay! Okay! We'll keep the physical dice!" Lance interrupted before Hunk went any further. "Dice rock, go dice! Yay! Can we please get to combat?!"

Hunk had the decency to blush and scratched the back of his head. "Sorry about that. Got a 'little' carried away."

Keith and Lance shared a look, as Hunk organized his notes. "Anyway, don't worry guys. I have everything written down on the sheets. And I can do the math in my head." He then slapped and excitedly rubbed his hands together. "So are you ready to take on my minions of DOOM?"

Pidge made a dismissive snort. "A couple trees and a few disgruntled Red Caps?" She shrugged. " _Please_. Honestly Hunk, you should have given us something more _challenging._ "

"Ooh, snap!" Lance fist-bumped Pidge and blew it up. "It is _so_ on now!"

" _Hiss!_ Yeow!"

"Yeah," Keith added, getting into the combative spirit. "Bring it!"

"Okay then," Hunk evilly laughed, (Or at least as much as he could, he's Hunk after all.) "Let's see how you do..."

* * *

 ****An Hour and a Half Later****

* * *

"WHY THE HELL, WON'T THEY DIE?!" Lance screamed, his voice reaching a glass shattering pitch.

Needless to say, things were not going well for the party. Shiro kept getting grabbed by the trees, causing his attack rolls to miss. Pidge and Hunk's health were almost entirely gone, while Lance had actually failed his first saving throw. Keith was the only one really left standing, barely.

Before making his escape, the stupid necromancer had managed to summon a zombie while everyone was preoccupied with the rest of the monsters.

Unfortunately, Keith had gotten bit while attacking it, causing all his attack rolls to miss. There was one, _singular_ Red Cap left along with the tree that kept tripping Shiro.

At long last, one of Keith's attacks finally hit: _You slice the creature in two, it gurgles for a bit and then dies._

Chuchule knocked the Red Cap figure to the ground with her sewing needles. Then she hopped up and down, stomping it with her foot. Making totally sure the infuriating thing was good and dead. Her tiny chest heaving with exhaustion on Keith's behalf.

"Is its dumb little hat still on the body?" the Red Paladin practically growled. He shot Hunk an intimidating glare. "Because if it is, I'm taking it!"

Hunk audibly gulped. "Uh... yeah. It still is... You should probably try and free Shiro and kill the tree first, through."

"Okay... can I move again?" Keith grumbled. Honestly, he liked challenging games. But if he got tripped up ONE MORE TIME he was going to freaking scream.

"Uhh... no. Sorry, man." Hunk nervously replied. "There's nothing more you can do this turn."

The entire group groaned.

"Dude, seriously!" Lance threw up his hands in frustration. "What level did you make these things? We're almost at party wipe here!"

"So... wait?" Keith incredulously asked, "The game _isn't_ supposed to be going like this?"

Hunk scratched bashfully at the back of his head. "Not really," he reluctantly admitted. "See battles are meant to be challenging, but not utterly impossible. Well, most of the time anyway." He quickly glanced away from Keith, "I may have made a _tiny_ mathematical error in powering these guys up when you joined the group."

Pidge released a snort. "Yeah, by like three levels, man." She then snatched up the die. "But we're all still alive, so we'll just have to deal with it."

A visible shiver traveled up her spine. "Do you see now, why I hate nature? Plants are EVIL!"

"Uh, Pidge," Hunk nervously interjected. "I _really_ don't think the Green Paladin of Voltron should-"

"EVIL, I SAY! SO NOW, THESE THINGS DIE!"

The Green Paladin made her saving throw and had her character stand up. Next, she told Chulatt to move towards Shiro and the tree. Hunk could only cast a small healing spell to help with Lance's saving throw when his turn came. Shiro was finally able to get free, but his attack was not enough to kill the resilient plant. On Lance's turn, he successfully made his saving throw.

"Thank goodness," he groaned, giving his best friend an annoyed glance. "Hunk, am I conscious?"

The Yellow Paladin ruffled a few of his stats sheets. "Um... yes."

 _I say, "From hell's heart I stab at thee!" And give whatever roll and power buffs I have left to Keith._

"That doesn't make any sense if you're not dying anymore," Keith pointed out rather unhelpfully.

"JUST KILL THE DAMN THING!" he snapped in return.

The Red Paladin guffawed, "With pleasure" and took the die in his hand.

Hunk checked his sheets against the final number. _You charge at the horticultural monstrosity with a mighty roar. The force of your fiery blades burst the tree apart into a thousand smoldering, smoking splinters!_

"YES!"

"FINALLY!"

" _PURRR!"_

"BURN! _BURN!_ DIE NATURE, DIE!"

"Pidge-"

"DIE!" She stressed with venom dripping in her tone. _I pick up one of the splinters and use it as a toothpick._

The rest of the team snorted and shook their heads.

"Fine," Hunk allowed. "Anyone else want to do anything?"

Keith slowly raised his hand. _I go back to the Red Cap's corpse and loot it._

"Okay," he answered with a laugh. _You find 3 of Lance's bolts that he shot into it and 30 gold._

Keith narrowed his eyes at Hunk dangerously.

 _Alright, alright and the blood stained cap, too._

Another grin tugged at Keith's lips. _I pick it up and strap it to my belt as a prize._

"What? You're leaving the gold?" Hunk squawked in surprise.

Keith smirked. "I'm a self-sufficient hermit. I've no need for such things." This made the others laugh.

"Whatever you say," Lance snickered with a rueful shake of his head, "though since my bolts are also in it, I call dibs."

Keith then turned to him. "Um... could you make a tiny version of the cap for Chuchule?"he shyly asked. "I think she deserves it after all that."

Lance looked stunned for a moment, but his expression quickly shifted to being warm and kind.

"No prob," he said with a light shrug. "Shouldn't take me more than a sec."

As he once again dug through his scrap collection, Chuchule scampered over to Keith and rubbed her head lovingly against the back of his hand. He patted the little mouse's back in return and then motioned for her to go over to Lance.

Once the Blue Paladin was done, the other mice came over and squeaked admiringly at his work. They all clearly approved.

After that, Hunk got the campaign back on track by healing his and Shiro's injuries. Then they worked together to stabilize and heal up the rest of the team.

When Keith's turn came, Hunk asked, "Okay, so. Do you tell us about the zombie bite?"

The Red Paladin's face scrunched up in confusion. "Why would I need to? You all know it happened."

Lance scoffed. "It was during a very chaotic battle, Keith. Hunk was acting as a narrator then. But our characters didn't see it, so we don't know. This is supposed to mimic real life, remember?"

"Oh." The Red Paladin blinked in surprise. "So even Hunk doesn't?"

"Yeah, that's right," he agreed with a nod. "We'll play it out whatever way you choose. But if you don't tell us, it could have grave consequences later on down the line."

"I see..." Keith folded his arms over his chest and thought about it for a minute. Should he keep it from the others? He'd done things like that in the past... wincing at the memory of him dealing with his inner demons as he began to suspect he was part Galra.

No, he finally decided. Not again. Keith was done handling his problems like that. These people were his teammates, his friends. Whatever they'd face from this point on, fictitious or not, they'd do so together.

"Alright," he said at last. "I tell Hunk, I got bitten."

The team let out a collective sigh of relief.

"Good," Pidge quipped back. "I _so_ didn't want to deal with the ramifications of that."

"Hunk and I would have found a way to discover it though," Lance added with a wink. "Can't hide stuff like that from the two of us, bro."

"Ye-ow." _Me, too._

Keith simply rolled his eyes. Hunk and Pidge performed a few healing and arcana checks, along with a will save on Keith's part. It was determined that if they didn't find a cure soon, Keith would turn into a zombie.

Hunk came up with some kind of name for it, but Lance just kept calling it, "The Curse of the DM! Ooooo!" Complete with "spooky fingers" that earned him a head smack from Hunk.

Next, Lance and Pidge looted the remaining corpses and the group set up a rotation for the watch.

Hunk and Shiro went first. The Yellow Paladin made some secret rolls and began snickering from behind the screen.

"Oh, man. This is going to be good." Reaching out, Hunk pointed at Keith. "You have a dream..."

 _Keith finds himself in a large sunbathed field, the setting sun paints the sky in a crimson array. You try and shield yours eyes from the burning light. As you glance away, you suddenly find a friendly wolf at your side._

" _Okay..." I say._ He gave Hunk a strange look. _I wave at it._

 _It barks at you and licks your hand._

The others snort and try to hide their laughter while Shiro loudly purrs his approval.

"Ew..."

"Yeow!"

"Sorry, Shiro," Keith halfheartedly apologized. "But I just don't like dogs as much as you do."

 _The wolf then beckons you to follow with its head._

"Alright, I do."

 _Suddenly delicious looking muffins start falling from the sky. You roll around with the wolf in the collective mound of muffins. Suddenly, the wolf leaps up and says, "Breakfast is the most important meal of the day!" And then you wake up._

The Red Paladin's reaction to this could only be described as the living embodiment of "WTF?"

This sent the rest of the group into complete hysterics.

"H-Hunk warned you, man!" Lance was eventually able to choke out, wiping a joyful tear from his eye."Never piss off the DM!"

Keith simply rolled his eyes, and Hunk took this as a cue to move on.

Next, Hunk and Shiro played out their watch scene. Which turned out to be more entertaining than Keith would have thought.

" _Rrrow merow. Yeow."_

" _And then what?"_

" _Rrow, meow. Nya."_

" _You're kidding! Really?!"_

" _Yeow."_

" _Dang, man. That's deep!"_

" _Purr..."_

This probably went on longer than it should have, but Keith could tell the others were making a real effort to include Shiro even though he couldn't speak. The more the Red Paladin learned about his team, the closer to them he wanted to become. They were all amazingly kind and loving people. Yes, even Lance. Well... maybe even especially Lance. It made Keith really want to try and get past this dumb rivalry thing they currently shared and become better friends.

Keith released a sigh and glanced over at Shiro. He'd talk to him about it later. Hopefully, the Black Paladin would have some emotionally competent advice. Other than the obligatory, "Just be yourself and go make friends!" That... never really worked for him.

Irately, Keith blew at stray lock of his hair as Pidge and Lance began acting out their turn.

" _Hey, hey, Lance?"_ Pidge asked in character with that sneaky voice of hers.

" _Nope! No way. Not falling for it again!"_ He automatically refused, crossing his arms across his chest in defiance. _"And you can't make me!"_

" _Aw... come on..."_ she pleaded, almost chummily. _"I won't do it again. Just touch my knife, Lance."_

Hunk and Shiro already seemed to know where this was going because the pair were trying to cover up their snickering.

" _Nu-uh."_ He denied with a vigorous shake of his head.

" _But it's all pretty and shiny-"_ Here even Pidge's tone started to crack. _"Y-You love those things!"_

Lance physically pouted, and shot her a glare. _"You're totally going to do it again."_

" _Me? Never!"_ She gasped placing hand over her heart. _"Come on... please?"_ Pidge then pulled out her best little sister eyes. The Blue Paladin seemed to fight it for a minute, but yeah, it wasn't long until he totally caved.

" _Okay, fine,_ " he groaned, hanging his head in shame. _I touch your knife._

 _And once again, I use its electricity spell to zap Lance back on his ass!_

Keith had to clamp a hand over his mouth as well. Just how many times had he fallen for this?

" _GAHHHH!" I scream, falling back and wildly twitch on the floor._ Which Lance, of course, acted out for the others in real life and Plachu dutifully mimicked. Merrily, Chulatt squeaked at their antics into her paws. _"Pidge! You're so mean! Hasn't this gotten old yet?"_

" _Nope,"_ she chirped in reply. _"Still comedic gold."_

A wicked grin then stretched across Pidge's face. _"But I may have found another equally tempting victim..."_ Her glasses flashed with evil intent.

Slowly, she turned her gaze to Keith.

 _Uh oh,_ he thought as Pidge began to speak. _I reach out and try to shake Keith awake. "Hey, hey, Keith? You like knives, right?"_

It was Lance's turn to now burst into laughter as Keith frantically tried to think of a way out of this situation. _I-uh, pretend to be asleep!_

Hunk shook his head at his wacky friends. "Bluff check!"

"Oh, come on!" Keith grabbed the die and rolled a 9.

"Sorry, dude! Didn't beat her."

"Nooo..." he groaned already knowing he was doomed.

" _Keith... I know you're awake!" I say mockingly. "You've got last watch with Lance, anyway! So... want to check out my knife?"_

"Remember, you have to pretend like you don't know what's going to happen," the Yellow Paladin helpfully reminded.

" _Okay, sure, why not?"_ He sarcastically said with a disgruntled scowl. _I touch it._

 _*ZZZZZAP!*_

" _Ow..."_

He was beginning to see how Lance got continually roped into this now. After a few more childish antics, Lance and Keith were left alone to finish the last watch.

" _Just for the record, since you were the last to join the the team," I say pointing to myself, "I out rank you."_

" _Wait, what?"_ Keith asked with a furrowed brow.

" _In fact, all of us do."_ Lance threw the D-20. _Nature check... 8._

"Okay..." Hunk replied in confusion. "What are you looking for?"

"Any wild animal that can be seen in the vicinity."

"Uh... well, there's a squirrel-"

"Perfect!" Lance chirped, turning back to Keith. " _Even that squirrel!"_

The others snorted while Keith rolled his eyes. _Why me?_ he thought before stating aloud, _"That doesn't make any sense."_

" _His name is 'Sir Nuttington the Third' I'll have you know!"_ he retorted defiantly. _"And you will show him the respect he deserves!"_

 _The squirrel stares at the both of you in confusion, before it squeaks and runs off._ Hunk added, with joyful mirth.

"BWHAHAHA! _Burn!_ " Pidge blurted out, smacking her knee.

" _Okay, fair enough."_ Keith replied, making a disarming gesture. _"Whatever you say."_

The Blue Paladin eyed him, as if trying to gauge if he could call this a legitimate win. In the end though, he just shrugged and dropped it.

The pair then went quiet for awhile, uncertain about what else to say.

Eventually, Lance rubbed his neck for a nervous moment, and asked, _"So... how's the zombie bite feel?"_

Keith raised an eyebrow at him in surprise. He hadn't expected Lance to be concerned about that. _"Kinda sore, but manageable I guess..."_

" _I... look. We found that map, right? I'm sure we'll find something to cure it. Hunk, Pidge, and Shiro are the most determined, incredible people I know. So don't lose hope, okay?"_ He encouraged with a smile.

" _Yeah... I'm staring to see that,"_ Keith got an odd feeling they weren't just talking about the game anymore. He also noticed that Lance didn't seem to include himself in that. Which was strange... Lance normally bragged about himself every chance he got.

" _I'll try..."_ Should he say anything? Keith nervously chewed on the edge of his lip. _"You are- too, you know..."_

Across from him, Lance suddenly went ridged and frighteningly still.

But he snapped back into form quickly. _"I, well yeah,"_ he obnoxiously drawled. _"Of course, I mean obviously! Just figured that was a given!"_ He shot Keith one of his cocky smiles, but it didn't quite reach Lance's eyes. And for some reason, that really worried him.

"Anyway, Hunk. I-I think Keith and I are done. How about we move on?" Lance suggested, trying to brush off the moment as usual.

"Yeah, okay," the Yellow Paladin agreed. Though the anxiety dancing in his eyes told another story.

Keith blinked at that thought. Since when had he been this good at reading people? If their diplomatic missions were any indication, he certainly hadn't grown a great deal in that department. But those people were strangers, and his teammates weren't. Being around the same six people 24/7 might have given him a leg up where they were concerned. Maybe spending time with his friends had helped Keith's social skills more than he had realized.

The Red Paladin's eyes scanned over the others in the room. He could tell Pidge had filed away what Lance had said, like she did with everything. What her actual thoughts were on it, Keith truly couldn't say. Shiro, on the other hand, seemed quite concerned. He shared a look with Keith that clearly said: "Let it go for now. I'll talk with him about it later."

Keith felt his skin flush as averted his gaze. Hunk took over the narrative again, as the adventuring party woke up and ate breakfast. During Keith's turn, he mentioned that he eyed his food rations suspiciously before looking back at Hunk.

This seemed to lighten the mood as they quickly returned to the task at hand.

Apparently, the map they found had a few notes tucked inside its folds. They implied that a cure for zombie-fication might be located within a certain crypt, the very one that was depicted on the map. The group followed the clues and discovered an oddly carved grave stone. Pidge checked it for magic and other traps.

Eventually, they found a way to open it and crept their way into the tomb.

It didn't take long for them to confirm that this was the place the map had been talking about. Along their journey, they fought more undead monstrosities. But luckily, Hunk and Shiro's holy magic made short work of them.

Lance and Pidge both gave Hunk a skeptic look. "What? I thought we could all use a break after the trees of doom! So sue me!"

After the second encounter, Hunk told Keith that his character felt sluggish and that he needed to make a will save. Which, he unfortunately failed. His character then passed out and dreamed of that weird wolf rolling around in a pile of fluffy muffins again...

 _The golden pastries are baked to absolute perfection. Just by looking at them, you can tell that they're incredibly moist. You pick one up and take a bite. The soft, buttery favor coats your entire mouth. The sweet, sugary notes follow immediately afterwards, filling you heart with joy. It's like sinking your teeth into ambrosia straight from heaven._

His own description was so rich and decadent that it actually started to make Hunk drool.

"Oops, sorry." He apologized, shyly scratching at the back of his head.

"Don't worry about it buddy," Lance assured, looking hungry for the baked goods, too. "Dang, Keith. Aruman's got issues. And I thought my god was trippy!"

The Red Paladin released a rueful snort and shook his head. "Yeah, tell me about it."

 _When Keith wakes up he's sweaty and pale. Do you tell the others about the dream?_

Keith just stared at Hunk like he was crazy. "Yeah, no."

"Okay..."

The Yellow paladin then asked Keith for yet another will save, which he once again failed. Hunk told him to start acting paranoid and irrational.

"You know, like usual." Lance chimed, earning him a smack upside the head from Hunk. "Dude, _rude!_ "

"Thank you, Hunk." Keith said with a smirk.

"No problem."

They fought one final battle against what seemed to be a pretty big baddie. A female enchantress that Lance, of course, took an immediate liking to.

"And who is she- ow!" Lance got smacked in the head again, only this time it was from Pidge.

"Quiet, you!"

"Pidge! Stop harshing my game." Lance took the die and rolled. "I try to seduce her!"

"Ugh, Lance. Really?"

"Mow."

"WOOT! 17!" he crowed along with a victorious fist-pump.

"Yeah... no," Hunk apologized. "Sorry, man. Her constitution's too high."

"Oh, ok- HEY! What do you mean, constitution! Shouldn't that be will?"

"I know what I said."

The others started snickering.

Lance raised an inquisitive brow. "And just what are you implying?"

"Whatever you think I am." He giggled behind his hand.

Lance released an insulted huff. "Okay, fine. I'll stop."

The undead maiden had emerged from a sealed coffin to fight them. After combat, the team gathered around to inspect it.

"Alright!" Hunk declared. _All of you look inside the coffin. The interior is coated with a thin layer of dust and webbing. There doesn't seem to be any sign of rot or decay. And oddly enough, there is a perfect, pristine, freshly baked muff-_

Keith immediately cut Hunk off. "I GRAB AND EAT THE MUFFIN!"

Unanimously, everyone's jaws dropped to the floor.

"OH MY GOD!" Lance screeched, eyes blown open wide. "Keith, why?!"

"I... but the god! And the muffins, breakfast- important!" he desperately tried to explain. "WASN'T THAT WHAT I WAS SUPPOSED TO DO?"

Shiro simply facepawed while Pidge groaned. "But it's still a _muffin_ in a _coffin!_ Why the hell would you just eat it? Who does that!"

Keith pointed accusingly at Hunk. "He said I should act irrationally like I normally would in a similar situation. If I had strange dreams like that from my trusted 'god,' that's what I'd do!"

Hunk moaned. "Keith, we really need to hold an intervention about your lack of impulse control."

"Dude, the dream could have been from any number of gods!" Lance laboringly sighed. "It could have even been mine, just trying to screw with you! It drives people _insane_ , remember?"

 _That..._ had admittingly not occurred to him.

"Also Shiro, Hunk, and I, _all_ have magic powers to test it and make sure it was safe!" Pidge stressed, arms thrown wide. "Which we could have done, _before_ you flipped out and freaking inhaled it!"

"Oh... I see," he said sheepishly. "My bad."

"Okay..." Hunk sighed, kneading a hand against his aching forehead. "Let's check the damage from this..." The Yellow Paladin proceeded to make a few secret rolls behind his screen.

"Alright!" he finally said. "So... good news and bad news. Good news: You are no longer turning into a zombie."

"HA! See!" Keith exclaimed. "My instincts saved me again!"

Hunk let out an incredulous snort. "Yeah... not really. Bad news: You're still technically undead, because now you're a vampire."

The others burst out into rolling laughter.

"Oh... yeah, that's kinda bad." The Red Paladin reluctantly conceded. His face flushing red in embarrassment. Maybe his friends were right about this game putting certain things in perspective.

"So, how are we gonna fix this?" Pidge grumbled, glaring at him with a mirthful smirk.

Lance rubbed at his furrowed brow. "If you had just _relied_ on us and not taken _everything_ on yourself, we wouldn't be in this situation. You know that, right?"

"Rr-ow," Shiro clearly agreed.

"I-I know... I'm sorry guys." Keith anxiously grabbed hold of his right arm. Biting at his lip, he glanced nervously away from his friends. "It's just... my entire life, I've always had to rely on myself. I... didn't _have_ anyone else." He then looked back up at them with steadfast resolve. "I'm _trying_ to open up, but it's hard sometimes." He tightened the grip on his arm. "I promise to do my best not to let it happen again. Especially, in real life."

And Keith meant it, too. The Red Paladin knew he'd still slip up from time to time, but he trusted his team to catch him if he failed. It was time for him to start relying them more. He wasn't a lone wolf any longer. They were more than just his friends, his teammates had truly become Keith's family.

Hunk and the others' expressions all softened. "Good," the Yellow Paladin said with a soft smile. "I think I speak for all of us when I say that we don't ask for anything else." Pidge, Lance, Shiro, and the mice all nodded in agreement.

Lance then released a long, tired yawn. "Well guys, I don't know about you, but I'm beat. We'll figure out a way to save Mullet's reckless ass next time."

Keith ruefully shook his head as both Hunk and Pidge stood up and stretched. "Yeah, sounds like a plan. Great game guys!"

The mice squeaked in agreement and quickly scampered back into the hole that led to the air-vents.

"Totally," Pidge agreed. Her mouth curling up into a gremlin-esque smirk. "Only next time, try not to randomly wipe the party."

"Duly noted," Hunk laughed as the Garrison trio exited the room, leaving Keith alone with Shiro.

Slowly, the purring tuxedo cat walked over and crawled into his lap. He nuzzled his head against Keith's hand as if to say, "See? Wasn't that hard, now was it?"

The Red Paladin ran his hand down Shiro's back, stroking his soft fur. "Yeah, thanks for the help."

It would take a while, but Keith knew that with the help and support of his team, he'd eventually get there.

"Purr..." _No problem. That's why I'm here._

* * *

 **Author's Notes:** Dang it! Now I want a freaking muffin. Anyway! DONE! OMG! Balancing all those jokes, the flow and the tense was so flipping hard! BUT I DID IT! LOL! Really hope you guys all enjoyed. Wanted to give a quick shout out to my other fic "Balance" that's also on here. It's the story of how Hunk met Lance. It's complete so if you like my work, please go to my author's page and check it out. And now! Next time! LANGST! ALL THE LANGST! And cute Shiro kitty and Lance cuddle times! It's gonna be so fluffy! YAY! But that won't be for a while. There's a short one-shot I want to write about Keith and Lance based around the truth serum trope. Not sure when that will be, hopefully before the end of June. I also want to get back to my short story Digimon collection. That you can only find on my FFN profile right now. Want to get out Izzy and TK's chapters before the new movie comes out. Anyway, July is going to be an insane month for me. So don't expect much from me then.

Well that's it for me! Until next time my friends! And as always: **Please remember to read, fav, bookmark, and/or review! I love hearing from all of you!**


	6. Feelin' Blue

**Disclaimer:** Yeah, I don't own the Voltron. I would love to own some Voltron Paladin figures though. And would flipping appreciate knowing when the heck they're going to be found in stores! I think I read something about October, which makes sense because that's when "Season 4" is going to be released, but I'd really like a date! Also what is with them not putting up Pidge and Hunk's figures on the Playmates page? They're all supposed to come out at the same time!

Anyway, rant over. So concerning the fic, I'm implying that the "who should be the leader" discussion in season three happened, but no one is trading lions in this fic. Honestly, I love the way they did it in the show and how that evolved all the characters. But Shiro is just stuck as a cat right now, and Black is recovering too. So all they need right now is a new leader in the field. And Lance is subconsciously becoming Keith's impulse control and second in command.

Okay! That's all people! Enjoy!

* * *

~Feelin' Blue~

* * *

Shiro sat with Coran in the observation deck of the training area, watching the latest team exercise.

Everyone except Allura was present. She was busy flying the ship to a remote star system that may hold the key to restoring Shiro back to normal.

Keith was doing his best to step up and become the budding leader that Shiro believed him to be.

And while the Red Paladin excelled in many areas, working as part of a team wasn't one of them.

Shiro sighed, glancing forlornly at his Altean friend as once again Lance and Keith got into another argument. Keith had wanted to expand everyone's fighting expertise in the areas they were lacking.

Since most of the team wasn't adept at close range combat, Keith chose to focus on that first. Shiro had happily agreed. It was a skill that Keith had utter confidence in, and could readily share with the others.

Unfortunately, while Keith was an expert fighter; he was rather ineffective as a teacher. His assessments and corrections were overly blunt and stern. When one of his teammates failed, he visibly reined in his frustration before calmly telling them to get up and try again.

Keith was doing his best, and the others could clearly see that, even though his lessons really weren't sticking. His technique worked well with Pidge, who looked at challenges like stepping stones. Her pride might be wounded, but the painful sting would help her focus and only strengthen her resolve.

Surprisingly, Hunk got the hang of the basics quite quickly. That is, once Keith assured the Yellow Paladin that despite his natural strength, it would take a lot more than that to actually harm him. Which left the only hold out as...

"Lance!" Both Coran and Shiro flinched at harshness of Keith's tone. " **Focus!** We've been over this move eight times already!"

The Blue Paladin tossed his practice dagger to the floor. "Why do I even need to learn this?" He asked, throwing up his hands in frustration. "My weapon's a gun, not a sword! When am I ever going to use this?"

Angry visibly shook Keith's frame as he took a deep, cleansing breath, and tried his best to calm down.

"Well, let's hope you never have to." While more subdued, the Red Paladin's voice still had a sharp edge to it, "But one day you might not have a choice."

He walked up and stared Lance straight in the eyes. "You're the one constantly reminding me not to run in without a plan." His mouth curled up into a slight smirk. "Consider this a backup."

That was quite true. While Lance had been reluctant at first to accept Keith as substitute leader, he respected Shiro's choice. And had surprisingly become Keith's impulse control in Shiro's stead.

Lance better understood what it meant to be part of a team than Keith. Probably due to his large, expansive family. He could simply read people better and understood the importance of emotional stability as a whole. Shiro urged Keith to start listening to Lance more, especially when it came to his observations of the team.

The Blue Paladin had really stepped up, and Shiro was immensely proud of him. But arguments like these still crept up between Lance and Keith. Especially when it came to effectiveness in battle.

Lance released an irritated huff and glanced away. "Okay, you have a point," he relented. "Let's try again."

And try they did, at least four more times. Until Keith's newly found patience finally gave out.

"Damn it, Lance!" He snapped, having easily disarmed the boy once again. "This isn't that _hard!_ "

Coran and Shiro physically winced, knowing that Lance wasn't going to take that very well.

"Keith-" Coran attempted to warn over the intercom, but it was already clear to Shiro that he wouldn't listen in this state. Immediately, the tuxedo cat leapt to his feet and quickly made his way down to the training floor.

All the while, Keith's heated triad echoed through the room. "Pidge and Hunk got it right away! Why can't you?"

"REOW!" Shiro yowled as his paws shuffled across the metal floor. _Enough!_

Unfortunately, by the time he reached them; Shiro could already tell the damage had been done.

Lance's bright, blue eyes appeared steely and cold. "You know what? No, forget this. I'm done."

The Blue Paladin spun around and stormed out of the room. "Lance! Hey-" Hunk looked torn, forlornly glancing between Keith and Lance's retreating form. "Hey, buddy! W-Wait up!"

"Real impressive teaching skills you've got there," Pidge drawled with a cynical edge. "Don't you even know the first rule?" She walked over and poked Keith in the chest. "NEVER say something is EASY. Just because it is for _you_ , doesn't mean it is for _them_."

Pidge turned away and hastily walked towards the door. "That's one of the first lessons my father taught me, and I think you'd do well to remember it."

Meanwhile, Shiro already leapt on Keith's back and climbed up to his shoulders. The second his balance was secure, he smacked his metal paw against Keith's head.

"Ow! Shiro! That hurt!"

"HISS! RREOW!" The tuxedo cat angrily spat into his ear as Black connected them mentally, _That is_ ** _not_** _the way you speak to your student! Let alone your teammate!_

"I know! But- he just won't listen, Shiro!"

An irritated noise rumbled in the back of Shiro's throat. _No, Keith. You just weren't explaining it in a way Lance understood._

Keith simply snorted at that. "Hunk and Pidge picked it up just fine."

Shiro's golden eyes narrowed dangerously. _Lance isn't Hunk or Pidge. He's his own individual person, with his own unique needs. He isn't_ ** _lesser_** _because he didn't understand the lesson in the manner you explained. That was on_ ** _you_** _and your skills as a teacher, not him!_

"I- I..." Keith stammered appearing stunned. "Lesser? No, I didn't mean for him to take it that way! I'm just frustrated, I don't want him to get hurt!"

 _It doesn't matter if you_ ** _meant_** _to Keith, he simply will. Some people need more validation and support than others..._ Shiro paused for a moment, debating if he should reveal what he knew. _Lance... isn't as confident as he makes himself out to be._

The Red Paladin's eyes went wide with genuine concern. "Shiro? I- I don't understand, what do you mean?"

Shiro thought back to Beta Traz and the one-sided conversation he mistakenly overheard on the comm.

 _Look,_ he offered with a shake of his head, _just think before you say something like that to Lance again._ Shiro glanced back up at doorway. _He takes this more seriously than you think..._

* * *

Shiro spent the rest of ship's day hunting for Lance. He checked all the boy's usual relaxation spots to no avail. Even Hunk wasn't certain where Lance had gone after he'd spoken with him. The gentle boy wrung his hands in concern. The anxiety he felt for his friend utterly paramount. Shiro sent him off to aid in the search too. This was reminding Shiro of Pidge in the air duct all over again, except this time even the mice couldn't track Lance down.

However, Allura assured Shiro that the mice would inform him when they did. The former paladin sighed as he explored yet another dark and empty floor of the castle. He really didn't like these areas. They were an eerie reminder of the fate Altea and the original paladins suffered at Zarkon's hands.

Shiro had just turned another corner when he heard a surprised squeak. Chuchule suddenly barreled into him with such force that she bounced backwards and landed on her tail.

 _Oh! Chuchule, I'm sorry. Are you okay?_ The perky little mouse quickly shook off the shock and happily chirped at having found him. Reaching out her tiny pink paw, Chuchule excitedly tugged on Shiro's fur.

 _Ow! Hey, that's not very nice._ He thought, but quickly realized that was the mouse's way of getting him to follow. _Wait, does that mean you found Lance?_

The pink mouse gave an enthusiastic nod of her head and scampered off down the hall.

A few turns later, the pair came upon a large viewing window that glowed with with the light of countless systems and stars. No matter what Shiro's journey into space had cost him, he still loved its vast mysterious beauty.

Since he was a child, Shiro had always been drawn to the stars. Their ethereal light attracting him like a moth to a flame. And while the innocent wonder of it had long gone, space would always be a part of him. For both better and worse.

Against the clear plane of glass lay a silhouetted figure. It was slouched and tightly wrapped in several blankets. As they approached, Shiro couldn't help but release a sigh of relief; it was definitely Lance. He'd know that hoodie anywhere.

But the question remained; what was Lance doing out here?

The teen shifted fitfully in his sleep, as something tumbled out of his lap. Shiro crouched down on all fours and moved forward cautiously. Chuchule simply rolled her eyes and bound up the blanket covered mound until she reached the perch of Lance's shoulder.

Shiro glanced around, trying to make sense of what Lance had been doing before he fell asleep. He knew the boy would deflect the question the moment he asked. That was one important thing Shiro had learned about the teen, for all the helpful openness he offered others, Lance never took the same for himself. He pretended certain things didn't bother him, when in reality they really did. Shiro knew the signs of a person who bottled up their unwanted emotions, believing that doing so was for the greater good. He was the foremost expert on the subject after all.

It wasn't until Shiro befriended Matt freshman year that he started to change. But yeah, most of the progress he made flew out the window when he entered the Galran Arena. His survival instincts kicked in and... it just wasn't healthy. Shiro knew that. But what other choice did he have? Any emotions other than hatred and rage were seen as weaknesses.

He sighed to himself and looked forlornly up at Lance. _What happened to make him think the same?_ He pondered. Carefully, Shiro shuffled forward and sniffed at the object that had fallen from Lance's lap.

 _Is this... knitting needles and yarn?_ He gently pawed at the woven pattern. It's certainly what it looked like. Hunk really wasn't exaggerating when he said Lance excelled at crafts. The black and white pattern seemed rather complex.

Shiro remembered when he used to watch his grandmother knit when he was younger. She always loved making things with her hands. She had tried to teach him a couple of times, but Shiro was never any good at it. Much like with cooking... Honestly, he was just a tiny bit jealous of both Hunk and Lance for those skills. Shiro didn't really want to be a chef per se, but he'd love it if he could learn to make mac and cheese without starting a house fire.

Shiro was shaken from these thoughts as Lance began to stir.

"No, please..." he whimpered, curling in the sheets. "D-Don't, I can get better..."

Chuchule made a pitiful noise and nuzzled his neck in sympathy. "I know I'm not like the rest of you but... No! Keith! Shiro, _please!_ "

Hearing his name, the tuxedo cat bound up the blanket pile and into Lance's lap.

"Yeow!" He mewled in concern, his pointed ears nervously twitching. "I'm sorry!" the boy finally cried, flaying out an arm.

"Meow!"Shiro cried as Lance's eyes flew open wide.

Immediately upon seeing the fluffy cat, Lance scooped him up into his arms. "Oh, Churro! Why can't I ever be enough?" he asked, burying his face deep into Shiro's black and white coat.

"Meow..." _Oh, Lance._ Shiro had been afraid of this. He knew Lance had been feeling insecure about his place in the team. He just hadn't known it'd gotten this bad. "No matter how hard I try, I'm always the screw up, the backup. The second, third, _last_ wheel!"

Shiro's heart broke in two as he felt the boy's tears wet his fur. "What am I even doing here? T-They don't need me. Maybe it would be better if I just took a pod and left..."

"Mow!" _No! Lance, that's not true! Black! I need you to-_

Black rumbled in the back of his mind, _I know, working on it._

"Allura could easily take my place. Bet she'd bring more to the fight than I ever did."

"Me-roow..."

"I just wish I could excel at one thing... instead of being mediocre at _everything_. Just something special the team really needed. I want to contribute more..." He sniffled. "I try _so_ hard, but nothing ever works! I'm not smart like Hunk and Pidge. Or heck, not even like Coran and Shiro!"

 _Lance, no! Don't compare yourself to us!_ He'd glimpsed some of Lance's insecurities in the past when his facade momentarily cracked. But this was far worse than Shiro had feared.

His ears drooped as he nuzzled Lance's damp cheek in silent support.

After all the boy had done: Flying Blue, saving Earth from that first Galra ship, pushing Coran out of the way of a bomb, protecting Pidge and Slav with extraordinary feats of marksmanship... The list just went on and on. How could he think so little of himself after all that?

"I'm not a fighter like Keith, Shiro, and Allura," he continued, through bitter tears. "I'm just... Lance. A poor boy from Cuba, with a lot of silly dreams... I offer hardly anything of worth to them..."

 _Lance, we love you! None of us think of you that way! Oh, please stop!_ He cried out with all his heart. And that was precisely when Black connected the mental link.

Lance took a sharp, wheezing breath. "Wait, that was- Oh my god, Churro's still back on Earth."

The teen immediately dropped the cat like his fur had suddenly caught on fire. Chuchule let out an indignant squeak, tugging on Lance's hair to show her displeasure.

"Yeow!" Shiro cried, tumbling into Lance's lap."Oh! Uh, h-hi, Shiro." He nervously laughed, trying to cover everything up. "Wow! T-That was some weird, totally off the wall dream!"

 _Lance..._

"I mean, yeah, why would I ever feel that way?"

 _Lance._

"I'm like, totally awesome!"

 _LANCE!_

The Blue Paladin winced at the level of emotion vibrating through the last one. He frowned and began picking at the loops of his knitting. "S-Shiro... please, just let it go..."

"Mow!" _No! I... Lance, I don't understand why you never told us you felt this way?_ He climbed up Lance's chest so he could look the boy straight in the eyes.

The teen visibly tensed under Shiro's determined gaze. He sighed and glanced away. "I... didn't want anyone to know." He shrugged, his eyes taking on the color of a stormy sea. "I'm already enough of a burden. I-I didn't want to drag the team down even more..."

 _Lance,_ he thought sternly, trying to get his point across. _You have never been, nor ever will be, considered a burden to any of us. Is that clear?_

The Blue Paladin's gaze shifted back. And honestly, Shiro had never seen it so cold. It sent shivers down his spine. "This isn't a participation game," he argued, fully aware of the weight of his words. "This is war, and we need the best soldiers on the frontlines."

 _Oh, Lance..._

In the past, both Shiro and Keith had reprimanded Lance for his childish behavior. Over time, Shiro began to recognize what it really was... a defense mechanism. One that, in some ways, he found eerily similar to his own. While his humor was somewhat darker than Lance's; it was still meant to produce the same result. Even now, the unknown depths their Blue Paladin still hid surprised him. The teen had already grown so much during their adventure. And Shiro was immensely proud to see this thoughtful, pragmatic side taking shape.

But then again, it was also the same one that allowed Lance to fixate on his shortcomings. Shiro had to reassure Lance that he was _vital_ to the entire team.

 _That... is very true,_ he admitted with a pensive nod. He felt Lance's body stiffen beneath him. _Which is precisely why,_ _ **you**_ _are remaining on it._

The boy's head shot up in surprise, causing Chuchule to let out another startled noise. The Blue Paladin quickly calmed the space mouse with a gentle stroke down her back.

"What? But Shiro-" He began to argue, but the tuxedo cat silenced him with a paw over the mouth.

"Mow." _No, this is not up for debate._ Shiro then warmly began to purr. _We need our 'leg.' The one Blue chose out off all of us to be her pilot. Or else this entire team is going to fall._

"Sh-Heero-" He mumbled incoherently, trying to interject. But Shiro simply continued on, _You remember that right? We were all there. And I trust Blue's judgment. I've seen you in action after all._

Lance blushed under his paw and glanced away.

 _While Hunk gives us physical support and sound judgment, yours is a different kind. You're the team's emotional support. And you deserve a lot more credit for the things you do._

The teen nervously picked at his knitting again. _Thought I didn't notice, huh? The way you check on Hunk and make sure he doesn't stress bake all the time? When you drag Pidge away from her laptop to sleep or play games? The way you tease Keith so he can have an outlet for his emotions. Or when you seek out Coran and help clean so he doesn't get overwhelmed... This ringing any bells?_

His pensive look became a glare, as he shoved Shiro's paw away."Yeah, but anyone could do that stuff..."

 _It may seem that way to you. But trust me Lance, empathy on the level that you possess is a rare thing in the universe. And you just being here is vital to all of us continuing to fight in this war._

"Pidge said I was 'the goofball' during the last meeting..." He refuted, once again trying to convince the former paladin.

Ah, yes. Shiro remembered that.

 _Pidge can be crass sometimes,_ he thought sadly, nuzzling head against Lance's cheek to help calm him. _You know she was only teasing, right?_

Lance's eyes shifted away, screaming with hurt."Yeah, sure." He shrugged a little, careful not to dislodge Chuchule from her perch.

Shiro's golden eyes narrowed. _But that doesn't excuse her actions. She needs to be more mindful of the things she says. And the only way she'll learn is if you tell her how you feel._

"But I don't-"

 _What, 'matter?'_ He released an angry hiss. _Because, yes, Lance; you do. You know, for someone who constantly validates other people's emotions, you certainly don't allow the same for your own..._

Lance stiffly shifted beneath him, but didn't reply. That was another thing he noticed about the boy.

While on the surface he appeared arrogant and shallow, his actions showed the exact opposite. In all honesty, Shiro had never met someone so self-sacrificing. Which was both good and bad in their line of work. He and the rest of the team would have to help him work on that.

"When I said I was 'the ninja sharpshooter,' Keith laughed," he mentioned offhandedly. Once again, trying to brush off the sting. "Thought I was joking."

Shiro made an irritated grunt. _During battle, Keith's so focused on the objective that he often doesn't notice what people around him are also doing to help achieve it._

Lance snorted into his hand. "That's an understatement."

The tuxedo cat's muzzle curled up into a smile. _We'll talk to him about that, too. You've been a great asset to him in the field, you know._

Lance blinked his shining blue eyes in disbelief. "I... really?"

 _Keith can be quite stubborn sometimes, and fails to see another path after he sets his sights on the first one._ Shiro's pointed ears twitched restlessly as he confessed, _He's simply not as adaptable as you._

Chuchule cooed in agreement, rubbing her face against the lobe of Lance's ear.

But the teen didn't appear convinced. "Okay, so I can change tactics when needed. Big whoop!" He threw up his hands in frustration. "You and Keith don't listen to my plans or objections anyway!

This caught Shiro off guard. The former Black Paladin thought back to when he took Keith to visit the Blade instead of Lance. He'd been so worried about what was going on with Keith, that he really didn't address Lance's own concerns very well. That was on him. It was something the whole team needed to work on.

 _You're right, Lance. I'm sorry._ He mewled. _We should listen to you more. You have a very unique way of problem solving._

"Okay, sure..." The Blue Paladin answered warily, not fully believing him.

 _In fact, Kolivan said the same exact thing,_ Shiro added with a rather mischievous grin.

Lance shook his head and did a double take. "Wait, what?"

 _After we were finished planning the main battle with Zarkon, he took me aside and told me just as much._

Lance flushed red in embarrassment. "I... you're making that up."

" _Nope. He said that while your thinking was rather 'unorthodox,' it led to interesting and creative ideas. In fact, he's the reason you keep getting sent on missions escorting the Blade. He frequently requests you."_

"I... really? Even over Keith?"

Shiro gave a pensive nod. _Even over Keith. You follow his orders to the letter, and only object when truly necessary. And while he thinks you are a bit too eager to prove yourself and often overcompensate for your mistakes-_ Lance flinched, nervously rubbing the back his head. _-you have a great deal of potential. And I have to say, I wholeheartedly agree._

Tears filled Lance's eyes as he scooped Shiro up into another hug. "I-I don't know what to say."

He gave a supportive purr. _You're a wonderful person Lance. And we'd be lost without you here. The only thing we need you to be, is yourself._

Lance bent his head and sighed into his fur. "And who is that exactly, Shiro? I still don't see it..." He snuggled the cat closer, confessing, "My entire life, I've lived in someone else's shadow. At home it was my siblings and then at the Garrison... it was Keith."

The former paladin stiffened hearing that, finally understanding the real reason behind their "rivalry."

"No matter what I did, I was compared to 'golden boy.' Couldn't even make it into fighter class, until a space opened up when Keith dropped out. It was something the instructors _never_ let me forget." The corner of his mouth dipped into a frown. "I was just his replacement, nothing more. Day late and a dollar short, that's always been me. And I just... don't see why you'd want someone like that on your team..."

Carefully, Shiro pulled back just enough to look Lance in the eyes. _I can assure you, not of us think of you that way._

Lance let out a bitter laugh. "Not even Keith?"

He snorted into the boy's shoulder. _Nope, not even Keith._ He felt his tail being to sway back and forth behind him. _I know he might not always act like it, but he genuinely wants to connect with you... in his own blunt, socially awkward way._

"I guess," he replied, uncertainty ringing its tone. His signature grin still not quite meeting his eyes.

 _Do you know who I see when I look at you?_

Lance shook his head as Chuchule climbed up behind his ear and patted it consolingly.

 _I see a loving, kindhearted person, who inspires and lifts up everyone around him._

Bright tears welled in Lance's eyes. "I..."

 _I see a young man brimming with untapped potential, desperately searching for a place he belongs._

"Sh-iro..." he croaked, voice straining with emotion.

The former Black Paladin simply pressed on, _But you've already found it, Lance._ _You belong with us. You're our Blue Paladin, the sharpshooter; the light, and laughter that keeps us going. You adapt and become whatever the team naturally needs you to be. So you see? You're already capable of so much more than you give yourself credit for. We love you, Lance. And starting now, we'll tell you as many times as it takes until you believe it, too._

"I..." For a single moment, the Blue Paladin had been rendered utterly speechless. "Thank you..."

"Purr..."

They stayed like that for awhile, content in the shared quiet. Until Shiro asked, _So who's Churro?_

This made Lance snort in laughter as he told Shiro about the silly little cat he had left at home. Shiro dutifully listened to everything the teen had to say. As Shiro sat there, it dawned on him that he knew very little about both Hunk and Lance's pasts. With everything going on, there hadn't been time to learn. But since he was already stuck in feline form, he had the opportunity to do so _now._ Maybe Shiro could still help his team like this after all.

He and Lance shared several stories of home. When Shiro brought up the knitting project, Lance shook his head. "Nope! Nuh-uh. It's a surprise, you'll just have to wait and see!"

 _Oh, so it_ _ **is**_ _for me!_ Shiro teased with a toothy grin. _Thought it might, given all the black yarn._

Lance stuck out his tongue and playfully hid his work behind him. "No idea what you're talking about Mr. Nosy! It's uh-" He snapped his fingers in thought, eyes lighting up with an idea "- for Kaltenecker! So there!"

Shiro gave him his largest, most pathetic kitty eyes. _So you're_ _ **not**_ _making anything for me?_

"GAHH! Shiro! Don't _do_ that!" Lance scolded, grabbing dramatically at his heart. "It's LETHAL! Okay, fine! Yes, it's for you! But I've still got a long way until I'm done."

Shiro made a satisfied purr. _That's okay. I can wait._ The pair continued to talk until the last of Lance's tears began to dry.

Black rumbled a warning in the back of his mind. While her power was steadily returning, she still hadn't amassed enough to change Shiro back to his original form. He hoped Allura and Coran would find another solution soon.

 _Oh, okay. Hey, Lance. Black's getting tired. Ready to head back?_

"Naw, you go ahead," he passed with a light wave. "I wanta stay here and watch the stars a bit longer." Chuchule squeaked and returned to her perch on his shoulder, implying that she was staying, too.

 _Okay..._ He hesitantly said, sensing Lance needed a little time on his own. _We'll talk to the others about how you feel tomorrow._ In a way that made it clear, Shiro wasn't leaving room for debate. Lance's insecurities needed to be addressed and he didn't have to face them alone anymore.

Lance frowned, apparently still worried about how the others would react. But he eventually agreed.

Shiro slowly left, wandering the dark halls lost in thought. It all made sense now; how Lance acted up until this point. He'd have to speak with Hunk tonight. Try and gain more insight before-

But Shiro was knocked from these troubling thoughts as he rounded the corner. Coming to a sudden, jarring halt.

Because sitting there,defensively curled up with the other mice... was _Keith._ The trio squeaked in distress, frantically trying to offering him their comfort. Shiro's mouth hung open in shock as the boy openly wept before him.

"Me-ow?" _Keith... what?_

The Red Paladin let out a wet gasp as he lifted his head. "I... the mice came and found me," he confessed, heartbroken. "I overheard you and Lance talking, and then Black..." A visible shiver traveled down his spine. Platt gave Keith's shoulder a consoling pat, while Plachu and Chulatt looked just as lost and distraught as Keith did.

Black rumbled in conformation. That was the real reason she was so tired. His lion had connected Keith to hear both sides of their conversation.

 _Black! That was private! You shouldn't have-_

 _Keith needed to know_ _how much Lance cares and respects him._ She mentally growled. _He'd never admit it otherwise. You know that._

Shiro sighed and shook his head. _Still doesn't make it right,_ he argued back. _He's entitled to his privacy._

 _In most circumstances I would agree. But as Lance himself pointed out, we are in a war. And we haven't the time for them to work through it on their own. Their misunderstandings need to be fully addressed right **now,** or it will tear the entire team apart. _

Shiro frowned and solemnly stared at the ground. Black had a valid point... still didn't feel right though.

"I really messed up didn't I? To make Lance feel that way." Keith reached up a hand and roughly wiped his eyes. "I don't deserve to be the leader."

 _That's not true._ Shiro stepped forward and rubbed his body against Keith's side. _You both just need to be more open with one another. Friendships are hard work and they take a lot of time to mature._

"All this time," Keith growled in frustration, hands tightening into fists. "Iverson and the other teachers back at the Garrison. How _dare_ they use me to hurt him! I-"

Shiro cut him off with a nod of his head. _I completely understand how you feel._ _ **Now**_ _do you understand why I told you not to compare Lance to Hunk and Pidge? It isn't fair. Not to Lance or the others. It not only affects them individually, but their relationships with each other as well._

Keith's went wide in realization. "I- but I wasn't- I was trying to motivate him! To _use_ that anger to drive himself forward! Not to become _resentful_ of the others!" He threw up his hands in frustration. "Usually, he does well with competition. But... guess I was wrong."

 _Oh, Keith._ The tuxedo cat placed a supportive paw on his leg. _Just because that works for you, doesn't mean it will for Lance. He respects you a lot. And if you first praised what he got right, he'd be more receptive to your corrections of what he got wrong._

"I... you think so?" The Red Paladin quickly glanced away. "Because at this point, I'm pretty sure he just hates me..."

Shiro released an annoyed grumble. But before he could debate him any further... "Keith? Shiro?"

The pair looked up in surprise as they suddenly noticed Lance standing next them. He was wrapped up in several blankets, with Chuchule still curled protectively against his neck.

He stared at them in confusion. "Uh... what's goin-"

Being his impulsive self, Keith acted on instinct and dove for his friend, tackling him to the floor.

"GAWW-AHH!" Lance squawked, his arms pinwheeling, trying not to fall. But the force with which Keith slammed into him was too great and Lance landed on his back _hard._ The mice all squeaked in shock, desperately holding onto both paladins for dear life.

Shiro laboringly sighed. _Why me?_

Black's mirthful rumble was _so_ not helping.

"Keith! What the hell, man?!" He screeched, trying to shove the suddenly clingy Red Paladin off of him.

But Keith merely tightened his hold. "Please don't leave! I'm sorry, Lance! I didn't mean to make you feel that way." He let out a grunt, scrambling for the right words to say. "Shiro's right. We need you."

"I-" he croaked. Lance's shocked blue eyes shifted to Shiro, asking for clarification.

The tuxedo cat's ears flicked in annoyance. _Black connected him to listen in on our conversation._ He averted his golden eyes in shame. _Sorry, Lance. I didn't know._

"Oh... so. **Oh.** " His voice heavy with the weight of realization. He glanced uncertainly between Keith and Shiro, unsure of what to do.

Then, slowly, Lance reached his arms around the trembling form of his friend.

"Hey, it's okay." He attempted to comfort with a sad smile. "That's all on me, not you."

"No! _I_ made you feel that way!" Keith denied, clinging desperately to Lance's chest. His fists clenched tight in the other boy's jacket. "Shiro's right. You're _so_ important to this team." He choked out, fighting back his tears. "I've lost enough people in my life, Lance. Please, don't leave because of me!"

"I..." The teen trailed off, searching for the right words to say. Shiro could tell Lance recognized Keith's abandonment issues were rearing up again.

And then, as always, the Blue Paladin pushed aside his own pain and comforted his friend. "Hey, it's okay," he reassured, softly. "It's going to take a lot more than that to get rid of me. I'm not going anywhere. We'll work on it, okay? Together." The mice squeaked their agreement and joined in the tackle hug.

The touching scene warmed Shiro's heart. It would take a while, with tons of give and take along the way. But he was sure that with time, they'd overcome their differences and become the closest of friends. Along with an incredible fighting force all their own.

And when that day came, the Galra were in for one hell of a surprise. Shiro couldn't be more proud.

Maybe being stuck as a cat wasn't so bad after all...

* * *

 **Author's Notes:** So in case you missed it in the disclaimer, I'm repeating it here.I'm implying that the "who should be the leader" discussion in Season 3 happened, but no one is trading lions in this fic. Honestly, I love the way they did it in the show and how that evolved all the characters. But Shiro is just stuck as a cat right now, and Black is recovering too. So all they need right now is a new leader in the field. So the dynamic that's forming between Keith and Lance in season three will still stand. You know, that Lance is Keith's second in command/ impulse control. LOL!

Only that discussion happened, nothing more.

Okay! And now for next time! Allura and Coran try to return Shiro to normal with ancient rituals passed down from the Altean Sages. Will they succeed? Tune in next time to find out!

And as always: **Please remember to read, fav, kudo and/or review! Feed the fan fic muse!**


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